From Little Acorns
by acevolkner
Summary: It seems some fates are destined to intertwine. A fresh faced Doctor meets a strange young street rat and together, they stoke the flames of a friendship that one day the Galaxy may come to depend on. Earthborn Shep featuring. Part of the Scarlet Sapphire series.
1. The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

******::ll:: All these toys belong to Bioware; I just smush them together and make kissy noises. ::ll::**  


**A/N - **Howdy! And welcome to my first fan fiction in the history of ever. Needless to say, I'm a tad nervous. So go easy on me. In saying that, please don't hesitate to tell me what you think. I'm a big girl and I can take it. I know I need a lot of work and I hope to improve, with your help. Personally I feel I get a bit long winded and wordy in parts. If you could tell me how to improve it'd be great, sort of like a this is what you do "...", and this is how I would make it better "..."  
This story is as much me trying to get my bearings and experiment in writing for characters and their interactions, as well as some action bits later on.

ALSO: There are some minor sweary bits to come, and a touch of violence. It's not much, but I've never been one to pay attention to age ratings, so I'm not a good judge. When I get to the chapter that niggles me, I'll ask for your opinion on whether I should change the rating. For now though, I'll keep it at T.

As for the actual story, I've had this in my mind for a month-ish now and really just wanted to get it out of my head and in writing. I'm a sucker for prequel stories and "before they were famous" stuff. In my mind, Liara will go on to be the LI in ME, however, if that's not your thing, this could just as easily serve as the beginning of a strong friendship between the good Doc and Commander.

So yeah, on with the show!

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**2169 CE **– Local Cluster/Sol/Earth/Europa/UK/London  
**Systems Alliance Extraterrestrial Registry Bureau**

Stepping off the transport shuttle, the newly anointed Doctor Liara T'Soni was positively buzzing at the current direction her life was heading. At just 92, she had been given rare admittance to Prothean Ruins contained within the Mars Archives, which were fiercely guarded by its human occupants. What had made this exceptional for Liara was that she would be one of the first non-humans to gain access. Admittedly, few non-humans were interested in the Archives, which had minimized Liara's competition greatly, and this news of cross species cooperation was hardly going to create headlines over the Extranet.

She suspected that even the humans themselves found her more of a nuisance to be placated than a potential trail blazer in knowledge of the old. This did not mean that gaining access had been easy, however. Liara had tried tirelessly for months to no avail and it was only after intervention from an old college friend that allowed her passage. Liara would be ever indebted to Dr Song for her help and she looked forward to meeting her friend at the Archives and thank her for all she had done. It was a blessing from the Goddess that the first human that Liara had met shared her passion for archaeology and had taken a liking to the Asari, becoming one of Liara's few steadfast compatriots.

Regardless of how it had been achieved, Liara thought, being granted access to the Archives was definitely a tick in the win column and would serve as an excellent start to the biography many would come to write about her after she had unravelled the secrets of the mysterious and ancient Prothean race.

The images of far flung future fame amused the doctor as she was slowly shuffled through processing, signing disclosure forms and posing for rudimentary identification papers. Humans were a peculiar race, Liara had decided. The females, at least, were very Asari-like aesthetically; the only notable difference being a patch of fur where their crest should be. The crest was particularly sensitive for Asari and Liara often wondered if human fur was equally as delicate, or if it could be moved independently. She was equally fascinated by the sheer volume of variety amongst humanity.

Unlike the Asari, who, despite slightly varying shades, were undeniably, uniformly blue, human skin tone could be shaded anywhere on the orange spectrum, ranging from deep bistre to light apricot, with some even veering off into shades rivalling that of finely tanned leather. Diversity seemed to be a discerning trait for humanity. For such a young species, humanity had amassed a vast array of ideologies both politically and philosophically.

In little under five Asari life times, humanity had explored almost all forms of governance and had religions that could cater for anyone's outlook. Whereas most species committed themselves to one doctrine, humanity proved malleable and constantly evolving in its culture. Like the Krogan and Turians, Humans were adept fighters, like Asari they could be shrewd diplomats, with tongues as sharp as their swords and like Salarians, they could just as easily turn their hand to espionage and infiltration. Plus, it was rumoured that in certain regions insects were a human delicacy. Liara shivered at the thought. At certain points of history, humans had even dabbled in eugenics, akin to the Salarian mating contracts; ultimately, though, the chaotic power of genetic variance had always won out. However, this variance was also the source of Humanity's weakness. Where other races could unite under a single consensus and progress as one, human culture was splintered and only those currently at the top would advance, with everyone else left to rot.

The dazzling architecture that signified human advancement and spanned human metropolises were all built on ghettos and slums of the less fortunate, the ignored and forgotten. The very concept of such a dichotomy within a single species mystified Liara. She mused, if it were not for the Protheans, she would certainly have chosen humanity as her genus of interest.

Liara was snapped out of her reverie as she passed the final checkpoint, by an Alliance Corporal placing a hand on her arm. Being 92 years old, Liara was older than the majority of humans she encountered, however due to Asari life spans, she looked little older than a human teenager fresh out of schooling. While being confident in her Prothean knowledge and biotics, Liara was no commando and shyness all but radiated from her being. The Corporal, picking up on this, ushered the young Asari off to the side, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Ma'am, with all due respect, you don't seem like the usual, ah, _cliental_ we get through here. May I ask your reason for visiting Earth?"

"Oh, I – I am just visiting until I am given clearance to travel to Mars. It is my first time here. I was hoping to do a little sightseeing." Liara replied meekly, flashing a nervous grin and blushing furiously at being caught off guard.

"And how long would your clearance take?"

"Uh, I have one week, and I need to get to, umm, _Parice_, I think it is? For my connecting shuttle."

"Ahh, the Brooke Memorial Space Station, _dans la belle ville de Paris_?" He replied with a chuckle, before his face turned more serious for a moment. "Look, if you are planning to stay on this rock for a week _and_ attempting to cross borders, I'd suggest some company, especially if you're not familiar with the place. Earth isn't exactly home to the most friendly bunch. Or moral."

_Oh_. Liara had never considered that in her travels, being too excited about being allowed to study the Archives in the first place.

"Do you know where I could find this company?" She asked, all previous exuberance deflating out of her. In her mind, she cursed herself. _Stupid, Liara, Of course you would need protection. Priorities, woman. _

"Well, just a few blocks from here, you'll find the _10__th__ Street Reds_ Gang, I'm sure they'd be more than willing to negotiate a price-"

"A street gang? Are there not any agencies?" She interrupted confusion over taking her awkwardness. The Corporal only managed a mirthless laugh.

"Please, this isn't Illium. It's the gangs that run this place, make no mistake. It's them or nothing, I'm afraid."

"But you're Alliance. Shouldn't you do something about this?" Liara retorted indignantly.

"No. I mean, well, _yes_, I _am_ Alliance. But that only means we represent humanity on the intergalactic stage. We're separate from the Earth governments. Outside those doors, I have as much authority as you do. And the police who _should_ be looking into it? They're just as bad as the goons they're trying to stop, selling themselves to the highest bidder. You want my advice? You're safer with the gangs. At least you know where you stand with them." He shook his head and sighed, before giving an apologetic smile. "_Welcome to Earth_."

Liara thanked the man for his guidance and with directions to this 10th Street hangout; she stepped through the door, blinking up at the alien sun. She had come to Earth expecting a holiday; a break to celebrate her new doctorate before plunging into Prothean data. Somehow, it seemed that this trip would be less than relaxing.

But at least it would be interesting.


	2. Fallen Angels

**A/N - **Thanks for the advice, y'all! Made some changes, should be good. Thanks Theodur and thedeadflag!  
p.s, If we were to ever make contact with aliens, I'd be totally cool with their first bit of earth culture being The Sound of Music.

On with the show! :)

* * *

**2169 CE **– Local Cluster/Sol/Earth/Europa/UK/London  
**The St Mary Matfelon Chapel**

Walking along the quiet streets, Liara was enraptured with the architecture of the city, which was unlike anything she had seen before. On Thessia, and indeed all Asari occupied worlds, buildings were kept in pristine condition, clinically disinfected, buffed and waxed on a regular basis. Here, however, history seeped through the very concrete itself, worn and chipped but still standing after years of turmoil.

However, signs of modern technology were ever present. Small civilian shuttles lined the streets, metal doors were flanked with recognition software and VI terminals were dotted in alcoves. Turning the corner, Liara immediately saw what was undoubtedly the head quarters for the 10th Street Reds. Standing proud amongst the ancient architecture was a small chapel, gleaming white, marred only by strikes of vibrant red.

Though the style of the building set out to ape the surrounding architecture, it was undeniably a modern construct; where there should be stain glass windows stood what was undoubtedly two way mirrors, and what would have been gravestones had tell tale signs of cutting edge defence technology. Dotted around the grounds of the chapel stood people who would be otherwise unremarkable, if not for the pistols they were carrying, or the fact that they all had their right sleeves missing, bare arms sporting a red lion rampant tattoo.

_Even the bravest of justicars would be unnerved setting eyes on this place_. Liara was positively quaking. She stood, frozen by fear and uncertainty. _You're in far over your head this time. Just turn around and get the next shuttle to Thessia. By the Goddess, Mother was right._

At the thought of her mother, Liara steeled herself. No. This time her mother was not right. As a child, when Liara had told her mother she wanted to study Protheans and archaeology, the Matriarch just laughed. _Cute_, she had thought. _It's natural, all children rebel against their parents. _As Liara grew older, her resolve only strengthened and her mother found it increasingly less cute.

As she prepared to leave for university, Liara's relationship with her mother began to break down and falter, leading to a rather heated exchange of words that would become their last interaction for ten years. _No. I want this. I am going to do this_. Taking in a deep breath, Liara strode through the open door, her fists clenched to stop them shaking.

A small squeak escaped her throat as she absorbed her surroundings. If it was beautiful outside, it was astounding inside. Intricate stone work scaled the walls, and mahogany pews lined the floor. The Chapel's inhabitants, while not adhering to a strict uniform, all had the sleeveless lion motif, with red accenting their garb.

What struck Liara, when it really shouldn't have by this point, was the diversity of the gang. Not just in phenotypes, but in age. It very nearly broke Liara's heart to see such a wealth of children amongst their ranks. They didn't act like children, instead sporting hollow, embittered expressions around their eyes.

Scanning the room, Liara became aware of the eyes watching her. While the hum of conversation didn't die down, it became noticeably more stilted. The only person not paying attention to her was a child, no older than fifteen, in the far corner, her back turned. She was several inches smaller than the Asari, with fiery red hair and was currently deep in a heated, whispered discussion with someone on her omnitool.

Liara suddenly became very self conscious of her bright blue skin amongst this sea of red. It was taking every shred of her will power not to bolt for the exit. She swallowed as two men approached and prayed her legs continued to support weight for a little while longer.

In any other situation, the contrast in the two men's appearances would be humorous. One was a hulking brute of a man, the size of a bear and could easily pass for Krogan in a darkened room, covered in scars and missing several teeth. And yet he had the softest eyes. Bright blue and inquisitive, almost like a child's. The other man would struggle to reach Liara's shoulders, was whippet thin and scraggly, with a prominent nose and beady eyes seated deep within hollows of his gaunt face. To her dismay, it was the latter that chose to introduce themselves.

"Well well well, what do we have here, then? These streets aren't the place for a pretty young Sheila like yourself." He had a nasally tone, only worsened by his accent, which was almost offensive in its thickness. Liara recognised it as belonging to the planet's southern hemisphere, _Austria, was it?_

Pushing her musings to the back of her mind, the Asari cleared her throat and braced herself. _Keep calm. You have nothing to be scared of. Yet, anyway. Just remember what the Corporal told you. _

"I am Doctor Liara T'Soni and I am here to discuss purchasing an escort for my duration on Earth." The small man regarded her with weasely eyes, a lecherous grin crawling up his face.

"What's to stop us taking you, pet? Keeping you for ourselves? You did just walk right in here, uninvited. We could use a little blue beaut to mix things up."

_Goddess, this was a mistake. But you've come too far now. Hold your ground. Stay. Calm. What would Mother do? Name drop. If you did not have the sway yourself, use those around you as leverage. _

She fixed him with what she hoped was a steely glaze.

"That would be unwise. You see, I am the daughter of the powerful Matriarch Benezia."

_Good. Now, remember what she told you_. _Veiled threats_.

"If we were to have a... _d-_ _difference of opinions,_ I'm afraid the political fallout would become a rather loathsome headache."

_Yes, yes._

"_So_ much paperwork. For me, at least."

The man's grin only widened.

"Really?"

"Really," Came the reply from the bear-like man, who shared the southern hemispherical accent. _Yes, definitely Austrian_. Unlike his compatriot, the large man had a soothing, infinitely more pleasing diction.

He had been tapping on his own omnitool as the exchange had taken place and Liara could make out the orange tinted profile of her mother floating over the large arm, surrounded by walls of scrolling text.

"Leave her be, drongo. Even if I were to let you take her, we couldn't be doing with a bunch of pissed off blues breathing down our necks. She wants company, she can get company. Assuming you can pay, of course, miss?" Taken aback the bear-like man's delicate elocution her voice lost its edge.

"I, uh- yes. Money won't be a problem. How much for one week?"

"How much you got?" the weasely man piped up again.

"_Enough_." She retorted curtly as she sent a figure to the bear-like man's omnitool from her own. Standing on his tip toes, the weasely man peeked up at his companions arm.

"_Yes it will be_" he all but breathed.

"For that, we can you our best," The bear-like man said, turning to his associate, "You go get the blood nut. Tell her she'll get enough bacon to feed those ankle-biters for months."

As the weasely man stalked off to the corner containing the girl who had been on her omnitool, the bear-like man offered an apologetic smile to the Asari. _He's nice, Liara, try some small talk. Remember, he's from Austria. You saw a vid about that. _

"_Austria_. I hear you have sentient countryside that can sing for millennia. It sounds wonderful." She offered hopefully. The man only stared at her, a bemused smirk on his face.

"It sure does." Liara's shoulders sagged and her face burned as she instantly regretted opening her mouth. _Well done Liara, another faux pas. I don't even know what part I got wrong._ She was no good at this socialization business. The sooner she could get to those ruins the better.

Thankfully, the weasely man had quickly returned with girl in tow. Her brow was furrowed under strands of vibrant auburn hair and her nose wrinkled, displacing the smattering of freckles across her face. Vivid green eyes refused to rise any further than waist level. When it was clear she would not be introducing herself, the bear-like man took it upon himself to do so for her.

"Don't let her appearance fool you; she's a little ripper when it comes to fighting."

Apparently angered by her lack of acknowledgement, the weasely man gave the girl a sharp dig in the ribs and hissed in her ear.

"Remember, she's Asari and her pay's keeping your street rats from doing the world a favour and disappearing down some vent. So you give her what she wants or this is going to be a long week, one you might not live to see the end of."

Liara watched as the girl barely suppressed a shudder and yanked away from the weasely man. Stony faced, the girl managed momentary eye contact with the Asari, wariness and distrust in her eyes, before returning her gaze to the floor as she finally acknowledged Liara with an equally expressionless "Miss."

The bear-like man put a giant hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Remember the rules, right? Fifty feet at all times or no dice, you'll get paid when you get back and the Doctor's sent us confirmation that you filled your end of the deal, okay?" She nodded, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor.

He leaned in closer to her ear, in an act of reassurance as opposed to the other's admonishment.

"We'll keep an eye out for your kids while you're gone. Keep 'em out of harm's way." This made her look up to him and nodded.

"Thank you."

She turned to the Asari and with a small shrug of resignation, gestured towards the exit. Liara gave the girl a reassuring smile, but her gaze had already returned to examining the feet of those around her. Making their way out of the chapel, the sun had already begun to set. Liara forgot that Earth days tended to be shorter than those on Thessia.

They walked in silence for a while, turning a corner, the soft sound of the girl's shoes behind Liara being the only indication that the girl was still following. Breaking the silence, Liara spoke over her shoulder,

"It's getting dark but luckily, I have a hotel room booked for the night. We can get an early start tomorrow and we can set off for Pa- _Parice_- Pari...Sian, _Par-i-zee-ah_?"

She stumbled over the last word, blushing slightly, hoping her fumble would at least break the tension and give the girl a giggle. Liara waited, but her only response was silence punctuated by the light shuffling of shoes.

_That man was right. This was going to be a long week._


	3. A Red By Any Other Name

**A/N - **Again, thanks for the reviews, everyone! sorry about the mistakes in the last paragraph, that's what I get for trying to rewrite as I proof read. :) Thanks once again thedeadflag!

* * *

**2169 CE** - Local Cluster/Sol/Earth/Europa/UK/London  
_**Charing Cross**_

The hotel room was moderately furnished, with an emphasis on simplicity and neutral colours, with a desk and terminal adjacent to the expansive window, itself opposite a basic two seat couch. Having booked ahead and not accounting for company, the centrepiece of the room was one comfortable, welcoming double bed that Liara was looking forward to crawling into after weeks of economy class cots she had used on her travels.

Dumping her backpack beside the desk Liara sighed, contented. She watched out of the corner of her eye as the red headed girl sidled into the room, quietly closing the door behind her before nervously examining the room around her. To try and ease the tension, Liara looked at the bed.

Walking up to the foot of the frame, she turned around and let herself flop backwards and patted the space next to her, fixing the girl with her best attempt at a disarming smile. Liara didn't think it was possible but the girl managed to deflate and shrink further, an almost pained expression flashed across her face, much to the Asari's confusion.

The girl stood opposite Liara and retracted her arm into her shirt before sliding it over her shoulder and repeating the action with the other. The girl looked up, catching Liara's perplexed expression. She gave an exasperated sigh.

"Can we just get this over with?"

Her voice wavered with plea. Liara's bewilderment only grew.

"Excuse me? I- I do not follow?"

The girl gave a frustrated whimper.

"You. You told Flea you wanted a- an escort. And I know what you Blues are like, especially the young ones, I've heard the stories, with your freaky mind shit." At this Liara gaped. _Oh_.

"I – uh, what? _No_. No no no no no." Liara blushed furiously; convinced she had permanently turned purple.

"I- I just need someone to make sure I don't make a fool of myself and end up in some kind of mess."

_An hour in and that's the fool part gone flying out the window. Magnificent work, T'Soni._

"I assure you that whatever you may have heard is not true. We, at least _I_, am certainly not like that. I haven't even- an- and you - you're little more than a child. That... I- _No_."

The red headed girl considered Liara for a moment, both flushing from the awkward exchange.

"Oh" she said finally, voice still quiet. She flashed a weak smile at the Asari before sheepishly putting her shirt back on.

"Good." She perched herself on the end of the bed, eyes darting anywhere but Liara.

_Alright, Liara, salvage this. Just talk to her. You can't possibly dig yourself any deeper. _Liara cleared her throat.

"I do not think we have been properly introduced. I believe the human custom here is to converse and learn about one another over some tea?" The girl snorted softly as Liara began searching for appropriate implements.

"Yeah. Something like that."

They sat in silence while Liara brewed and poured the drinks. The human equivalent was different from what she was used to, but it would suffice.

"You know, you're alright, Blue." The girl finally said, accepting her mug and moving over to the couch.

"If you insist on calling me that, I will have to insist upon calling you-"she quickly examined the girl, concluding her most prominent feature was her hair "- _Red_." The girl, Red, smiled and shrugged indifferently. Liara continued.

"Regardless, I would like to properly introduce myself. I am Dr T'Soni but I would prefer if you called me Liara."

"Oh, well, then. Pleased to meet you, _Blue_." Red replied, a devilish grin spreading across her face, taking childish glee in teasing the Doctor. Liara was just glad to have broken the tension, happy that the pair had found amicable footing. Silence fell again, as Red took another long sip from her mug.

"What about you, Red?"

"What about me?"

"What should I call you?" At this, Red's eyes went to closely examine her mug. Again she shrugged.

"Red's fine."

"But it is hardly a name, is it? What's yours?"

"I- ahh," Red shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "I don't have a name." Liara frowned, perplexed.

"How- why don't you have a name?"

"Nobody ever asked." Was Red's abrupt response. Liara did not falter in her gaze.

"Look, I- I don't know. I guess I had a name at some point. I mean, I must've had parents, and they had to have called me something. But," she gave a deep sigh "As far back as I can remember, it's always been me. Just me. According to the feds, I don't exist. If something happens to me, it doesn't matter, because you can't miss what doesn't exist; what doesn't even have a name, right?"

_Wrong_. Liara mused, but kept the thought to herself, unwilling to interrupt Red's chance to vent. Giving a final shrug, the child gave Liara an apologetic look. The Asari took a sip of her own tea, never breaking eye contact, before setting her cup down.

"I am asking you, now. What would you like me to call you?"

Red raised her eyebrows, taken aback by the unexpected question.

"I- I don't know," she furrowed her brow, considering the question. "I'll have to think about it."

Liara considered the child as she was deep in thought. Liara wondered, silently, the last instance someone had spoken to Red, purely for conversation. Grimly, she came to the assumption that it had been probably been some time. Red was snapped from her reverie with a question that had plagued Liara's mind since first setting foot in the Chapel.

"You're so young. Why did you join your gang?" Liara was familiar with the concept. Gangs and cliques existed in all shapes and sizes across the Galaxy, from hardcore mercenaries to schoolyard hang outs and were ultimately always bad news. Liara had always hated the concept. Usually because it was another way for her peers to alienate and exclude her. She had always preferred her own company anyway, or at least, that's what she had convinced herself.

"Well, I-" Whatever response Red had prepared was cut short, her omnitool bleeping with an incoming call. She frowned at the orange instrument, before looking to Liara for permission to answer it.

When it was given, Liara saw the reverse image of a boy, only slightly younger than Red appear above her forearm, looking flustered, even through the orange glow. She noted how Red's features seemed to soften, calm warmth radiating from her face.

"Mama, That huge scary guy, Pitt came down to the shack and said you were gonna be gone for a week and were gonna be outta the country and then that Flea guy came in and said you might not come back and then Ivy kicked him in the shins and Roo and Luis started crying but we managed to calm them down and everyone is worried about you and if they're making you do bad things..." He trailed off, pausing for breath. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, David," Red replied soothingly. "But yeah, I've got a job to do and I'll be gone a little while. I was going to call you, but the time's just ran away from me."

"Mama, who you with? If they hurt you, I'll- I'll- I don't even know what I'll do."

She chuckled and glanced outside, into the black night, thinking before turning questioningly to Liara, motioning to the boy's image. _Can we-_ Liara nodded encouragingly, amused by Red's sudden change in demeanour. She addressed the boy again.

"Okay, it's too dark now to come tonight, but I promise I'll visit first thing tomorrow and I'll bring my new friend so you can judge her for yourselves." _She called me her friend_, Liara beamed. "Can you hold the fort for tonight?"

"Yes Ma'am!" he replied, snapping off sarcastic salute with his left hand.

"Affirmative, soldier," she replied in kind, before adding in a quieter tone, "I love you guys." The boy only groaned as he cut the connection. Red stared absently at where the image had been a content smile on her face. After a moment she returned her attention to Liara.

"So, Blue; where were we?" Liara returned her gentle smile.

"I believe I was asking why you joined your gang?"

"Oh, well, I, uh," She absently ruffled her hand through her hair, before gesturing to her omnitool. "I guess there's your answer. I got kids that needed looking after." It was Liara's turn to furrow her brow.

"That boy, he called you his mother. I am not so adept with Human biology but you appear nowhere near old enough to have carried him." Red let out a snort, blushing slightly at the Asari's blunt approach.

"Nah, David's only a few years younger than me. He was the first one I met, actually." Red's softened features tinged with sadness.

"I must've been about seven. I was rooting through some garbage in some alley in the ass end of nowhere. I heard some shouting and then gun shots, before some skeevy looking guy bolted past me. I went to see where the sound came from and then I saw them."

"David was sitting, sobbing, surrounded by two bodies spilling blood everywhere. I guess they were his parents. He saw me and he ran up, clinging to me like his life depended on it. I tried to get help but no one was around and I didn't have this thing yet,"

She waved her arm, still encased in orange.

"It's not like I could've called someone." Her face turned grim.

"So I did the only thing I could do. I sat there and hugged him until his sobs slowed down. He asked me to help them, to tell them to get up." She fixed Liara with a pained expression.

"How do you explain to a little kid his parents are never going to get up, _wake up_, Blue?" She slumped.

"I didn't know what to do with him; he didn't have any other family. We visited the local Cop Shop every day for a month, checking the Missing People boards, but his picture never turned up. That's when I realised he was just like me. Another kid who'd fallen through the cracks. I knew how it felt; it was cold and lonely and scary."

"But I could make it different for him. I could look after him; make sure he always had someone to talk to, to keep him safe. I could give him what I always wanted. And I guess it gave me purpose too," Red added, almost as an afterthought.

"He gave me something to focus on and work for, goals to achieve, y'know?"

"And that was fine, for a while. We made quite the team. But as time went on, we picked up more strays. We ran into some, rescued others from some shady types. They became my kids.

Eventually, there ended up seven of us, including me. I can't look after that many, not on my own."

She reclined on the couch, empty mug in her hands.

"So I joined the 10th Street Reds. They offered me protection in return for some," It looked as if she had a bad taste in her mouth. "_Dirty_ _work_."

Liara grimaced in sympathy. The human gave her a reassuring smile and shook her head.

"I had nothing, I _was_ nothing. _I didn't even have a name_. But they made me a Red and gave me a title. Sure it's far from perfect. But if that's what it takes to keep my kids safe..." She trailed off, before giving another resigned shrug.

"That's what it takes." They were silent for a moment, before Red gave a chuckle.

"Listen to me rambling. I've never talked about myself like that before. Feels weird putting feelings into words." Her eyes met Liara's.

"Thanks, Blue." The Asari only blushed. Red rose to her feet with a start, examining the emptiness of her mug, before taking Liara's and brewing another round.

"But that's enough about me for one night, what about you? You're a doctor, gotta have good some stories?" She sat back down, handing one steaming mug to the Asari. Liara only shook her head.

"I am not very interesting, I am afraid. What time I do not spend reading text books, I spend digging in archaeological ruins. Actually, one of the things that fascinate me about Earth is the sheer volume of relics and remnants of civilisations gone before. It is much different from my home planet, Thessia."

"I've always wanted to go off world, Y'know, get lost among the stars" Red's eyes lit up. "What's it like? Thessia?" she asked, a childish sense of curiosity in her voice.

And so they talked, long into the night. Liara spoke animatedly about a vast array of topics, from Asari culture, her personal experiences growing up and her mother in particular, to her interest in the Protheans and fascination with archaeology and Earth. She explained her theory on Asari and Humanity having a recent common ancestor, more so than any other species, noting how several ancient cultures had oddly Asari like naming conventions. She worried she may have been boring the human but every time she met her eyes, she saw a child in awe of her, hanging on to her every word.

In truth, Red didn't hang on to every word. Not that it wasn't interesting, it was. But every so often Red began to lose herself in the Asari's cobalt eyes or watching as enthusiasm radiated from her face, giving an endearing glow to her beautiful blue skin, or as the purple freckles wrinkled with her nose every so often. She was like an ocean and Red was more than happy to be swept away in her features.

She felt her own cheeks heat up as she realised she had sat for the best part of ten minutes just basking in the Doctor's beauty, not taking in a word she had said about Protheans. _Something about bean cans and conduits?_ As time wore on, both parties relaxed and conversed in a more sluggish manner, as fatigue and tiredness set in. After having run out of things to talk about, Liara yawned.

"You were right; it does feel strange to talk about oneself at length." Red gave a slight nod, who was resting her head against the arm of the couch. Liara took the mugs and placed them on the desk.

"Thank you for the opportunity, Red."

Turning around, she saw the child, now sound asleep on the couch in what Liara imagined to be an uncomfortable position. She sighed, bemused, looking over the human. She looked peaceful, innocent lying there. _Cute_.

Cradling her, Liara was careful not to wake the child as she walked over to the bed, tucking her in safely. _It's about time someone returned the favour_. Taking the bed throw, Liara curled up on the couch and took one last look at her human companion.

She lay for a moment, thinking over the events of the day and all they had discussed. _Here was a teenage girl, who had lived more in her few years than what Liara had done in almost a century_. She did not know whether to feel envious for such an interesting life, or relieved that she had yet to experience such hardships herself. Either way she was glad to have met the interesting human and to have made a new acquaintance. Liara smiled.

_She had called me her friend._


	4. The Rat Pack

**2169 CE **– Local Cluster/Sol/Earth/Europa/London  
**The Rat's Nest**

Leaving the hotel, Red led Liara through a maze of back streets and alleys. As they delved further into the labyrinth, any signs of modernity grew in scarcity. Metal doors and key pads gave way to rudimentary key and lock, with some doorways resigned to being boarded up with rotten planks of wood. Architecture crumbled, forgotten and ignored, making passing wind currents whistle ominously from above. The ground appeared to be eternally wet and variety of strange and displeasing smells assaulted the Asari's senses.

Eventually the pair came to a seemingly abandoned tenement; the lower level windows and entrances boarded up and covered in faded graffiti. The only thing not worn down by time was a familiar, bright red lion stencilled beside the door. Moving to the dilapidated court yard adjacent the building, Red propped open a large grate, beckoning Liara to enter. The Asari squatted and awkwardly shuffled through.

Despite being relatively small and dexterous, her back and sides audibly scraped along the walls_. It was a smart defence, _she thought, recalling several Prothean military ruins. It would be difficult for hostile forces, especially those above a certain size, to breach the compound, especially if this was the only entrance.

All a defender would have to do is guard the exit grate and pick off invaders as they crawled through, negating any possible numerical advantage. _It was ingenious_, she mused, exiting the vent herself, as the barrel of a gun thrust itself against her chest.

"_Don't. Move." _hissed a voice from the shadow.

While the command dripped with threat, it was too high pitched for Liara to take seriously. Regardless, she thought it best not to tempt fate and stood patiently, as Red emerged behind her. Standing up and brushing herself down, the human squinted in the darkness.

"_Toby? _At ease, buddy, she's clean." Liara felt the pressure on her chest lessen as a match was lit, illuminating the darkness. The boy, Toby, drew a cigarette. Red patted Liara on the shoulder before moving between the two. She gave the eight year old boy a disapproving glare before setting off for a stairway, only visible in the gloom due to a faint light spilling from the top of it. Toby motioned for the Asari to follow, still not trusting her to go unwatched.

Emerging onto the upper floor, Liara was surprised with what she saw. The open plan room was clearly rundown, with paint peeling off the walls and stains dirtying the ceiling. Several beds crafted from a variety of debris and supporting thin mattresses, lined the room, and a small, rudimentary kitchenette filled one corner. But it was homely. Pictures and crayon drawings served as wall paper, crudely constructed toy space ships hung from the roof as decoration and what little furniture there was, was kept tidy, the place emitting a warmth at odds with the cold exterior.

Red marched over to what Liara presumed was her bed, pulling out a crate underneath before gearing up with what looked like hockey pads and a small rifle. The Asari waited nervously, not daring to step into the room, conscious of the curious eyes taking notice of her. The youngest girl, barely five years old, approached cautiously. She looked up at Liara through curtains of blonde hair, with large, inquisitive, opal eyes.

"Are you going to take Mama away?"

Liara crouched, meeting the girl's gaze.

"Only for a little while. You need not worry. I shall keep her safe."

The girl gave a bark.

"Ha! Mama don't need no one to look after her. She's tough." The girl beamed, examining the Asari closely, before placing a hand on her cheek, stroking her not-quite scales.

"You're pretty."

Liara gently blushed, placing her own hand over the girl's. Seemingly accepted, Liara was dragged into the room, as the other children gathered around her. She introduced herself and told them of her interests and reasons for coming to Earth. It struck Liara that she was most likely the first extraterrestrial these children had seen. Life on Earth was certainly a far cry from that on Thessia. Their conversation was cut short by Red, addressing the children.

"Front and centre, ladies," The children all ran to assemble themselves via height, even the eldest, David, who was himself an inch or two taller than Red.

"As you know, I have been drafted to get Blue here to _le gai Paris_ without causing too much trouble. This means I'll be gone for a week,"

a chorus of groans came from the children.

"That's enough. It has to be done. While I'm gone, David will be in charge. If something happens, go to him,"

She addressed David

"If it's something big, call me. Now, Pitt promised he would keep an eye out for you, just in case, so don't be afraid if you see a few more Reds knocking about. Unless it's Flea. Then kick him in the shins. Again."

A laugh from the children. Ivy puffed her chest proudly.

"I'm counting on you guys to make me proud. And I want a big cake for when I get back."

"Yes Ma'am!" They chanted. Liara watched on, bemused. Red certainly had an aura. The children listened intently, straightened backs and with fire in their eyes. They wanted to make her proud, prove that they were capable.

She looked at Red herself and saw gentle admiration in her firm stare. She loved these kids and Liara could swear she felt the encouragement and confidence Red instilled in them. It was clear why they called her mother.

Red threw her backpack over one shoulder and gave a hug and individual goodbye to each child, before fixing Liara with a determined gaze.

"Ready?"

"Ready." Liara waved to the children before following Red into the darkness.

They walked in silence for several minutes, making their way back to civilisation. Red's brow was once again furrowed, deep in thought

"Alex." She announced abruptly, startling Liara.

"What?"

"Alex. I always liked Alex. Y'know, as a name."

Liara gave a slight chuckle and nodded.

"Very well. I am pleased to meet you, _Alex_."

She offered her hand. Alex grinned as she accepted, shaking it.

"The pleasure is all mine, _Liara_."


	5. From Brightest Day to Darkest Night

**A/N - **Alternate title; Gun to a Knife Fight  
You'll have to pardon my French in this chapter, literally. I understand some of the nouns might not follow French grammar, but seeing as they speak mostly English, I thought I'd just stick to those rules. I hope it's not too awful, I learnt German in school. Of course, I could have set this in Germany, but then it'd turn into a Eurotrip, and I'm not comfortable writing Li'l!Shep getting beat up by a human robot with a funny accent.  
That was a joke. A terrible one. Sorry. I'll be quiet now.

Also, thanks thedeadflag, you're saving me much embarrassment! And Ophalia, for helping me with my terrible french! :)

* * *

**2169 CE **– Local Cluster/Sol/Earth/Europa/France/Nord  
**Calais**

France always felt more secure than UK soil, Alex thought. It was as if the country itself was less harsh, more forgiving, safer. _People feel safest right before they die. _The human was under no illusions; she knew that simmering beneath the glossy veneers, corruption and violence festered, like a disease. This planet was rotten to the core.

Those who were good, lucky, rich or smart enough had jumped to light speed the first chance they got, leaving the rest of humanity, the sick, the poor, the dispossessed to carve out meek lives for themselves. Alex did not blame those who left and planned on doing so herself as soon as possible but she couldn't shake the bitter tinge of resentment at the thoughts. She had always wanted to travel the stars.

Tired of her introspect, she studied the surrounding area. She and Liara had stopped at a small café to relax after their cross Channel journey and for Liara to reclaim her land legs. For a species that had begun in the sea, Asari apparently did not mix well with boats. Alex over heard her companion quietly muttering about moons and tidal cycles as they strolled along the street. It was cheating, she had insisted. _Humans were far too angry. Even their oceans like to fight_.

Apart from Liara's discomfort, the trip was going smoothly, which for Alex, only meant something else was brewing just out of view. She felt the twinge of a knot in her stomach. She was always tense, but the unfamiliar territory only served to amplify her anxiety. They were being watched. It was more of a feeling and instinct than a quantifiable fact, but instinct had kept Alex alive in the past, and she had learned to trust it above all else.

Save a few curious glances at the blue Doctor, the pair remained largely ignored by the shifting crowds. However, a trio of teenagers caught her eye. They had taken up position on wall across the street soon after Liara and Alex had sat down. All three wore ridiculously over sized, garish yellow hoodies and had drawn up their hoods to avoid attention. _In so much as three giant animated lemons could, _she supposed_. _Although their faces were obscure, Alex couldn't help but feel the burn of their eyes every time she looked away.

Liara hadn't appeared to notice, her own eyes darting around, taking in the alien environment. The human watched her silently, amused at the Asari's excited expression. _She was like a kid in a candy store._ Alex remembered Liara yelp as she downed the Espresso she had ordered, eager to try out this concoction called coffee that humanity raved about. The Asari, it seemed, had a stronger response to stimulants than humans.

Liara was currently hopped up like a kid with sugar, eyes full of wonder and hunger for exploration. Alex found her brand of innocent naivety endearing. _She probably doesn't get out much. Which is a shame. Liara's fun. _An orange tint had descended on the scene as the traffic began to disperse. It was getting late. The pair paid for their drinks and set off toward to shuttle station.

As the skies dimmed, the streets became deserted, doing little to alleviate the knot in the pit of her stomach. Hearing feet shuffling behind them, Alex quickened their pace. Turning the corner, she saw the same yellow Hoods, loitering under a lamp post at the end of a street, blocking their path. _There were more of them. _

Analysing the situation, she noted one of the Hood's playing with a butterfly knife as the sound of foot steps behind thumped in her ears. She made her decision. Ushering Liara into the nearest side alley, she grabbed the Asari's hand and ran.

As if to confirm her previous suspicions, the foot steps behind her exploded into a stampede, muffled only by snarls of indignation and rage. They kept running, twisting and turning. The pistol that the Human had tucked in her waistband rubbed painfully against her hip.

Alex lost track of the direction they were heading, only focused on getting away. There was a sinking in her stomach as the barks behind her became cocky and jubilant. They lasted for a few more twists and turns before running head on into a splinter of the gang. _Flight had failed. Now it was time to fight. _

Cornered, Alex placed herself between Liara and the Yellow Hoods. The Asari was panting and there was a hitch in her breathing. She was scared. _These bastards have scared Liara. _Any fear Alex may have had was immediately swallowed by anger. The Hood, who was still playing absently with the butterfly knife, stepped forward, his eyes trailing over Alex.

"_Bonjour mesdames. _I should think I'd remember such pretty faces on my streets. You are new here, no?"

Alex only glared. Liara stood behind her, clenching her jaw to stop it trembling, praying that her eyes did not betray her fear. Unimpressed by their silence, the Hood motioned and Alex was grabbed around her wrist and thrust forward. The man took the wrist in his own hand, examining the tattoo left bare on her arm, caressing it with his knife. He muttered to himself.

"La_ dixiéme rue. Un rouge_?" He fixed Alex with a dark stare. "You are a long way from home, _gamine_."

"Just passing through."

"You know, walking into someone's _territoire_ unannounced and uninvited _could _be seen as a threat, _un... défi_."

_A challenge? This isn't going to end well_. Alex registered the remaining Hoods pull out their own blades, either flick knives or straight razors. She wrenched her wrist away from the man's grasp but retained eye contact.

"Or, _we could just be passing through."_ She said through clenched teeth.

Trying to reason was futile. She knew things were going south, fast. Her mind switched tracks, now scanning for escape routes and distractions.

"_Cependant_, it would be foolish to allow passage. If one was to make _une exception_, others might get ideas. And we can't allow that. At least, not for _un prix, _of course."

_A price?_ Though her expression didn't falter, Alex felt a glimmer of hope. _Perhaps this didn't have to end ugly_. She kept her voice steady.

"What kind of price?"

"Oh, just _une faveur_, or two," The man gave a sickly smirk and any glimmer was immediately extinguished.

"From you and your," His eyes lingered over Liara. _"Pute bleue." _

That did it. In one fluid motion, Alex drew the pistol from her waist band and had it aimed squarely at the man's forehead. The circling Hoods bristled and growled but dared not step closer. _Fucking amateurs. Not one of them had a gun? _While the ball was now in her court, Alex was all too aware that she and Liara were still cornered in unfamiliar territory by knife wielding idiots. She adopted an icy glare.

"Now. I'm going to give you a choice, _Mon chéri_," Alex hissed, with a smile that contained no mirth, as venom dripped from her every word.

"You can let us go our merry way. Or_ I can paint this wall with your fucking brains_. I'm good either way."

The Hood sneered.

"You don't have the balls, _mon chaton_."

Alex only quirked her eyebrow.

"_Oh?_"

Never breaking eye contact, she lowered her pistol. A smug grin spread across the man's face. She fired. The man howled and clawed at the bloodied mess that was now his left foot. Alex barely registered the yelp of surprise from Liara behind her.

The surrounding Hoods flinched, suddenly fumbling with their own weapons. The man steadied himself, pain and fury interwoven on his face. Alex stood stony faced and deadly quiet as she lifted her gun back to its original position.

"The next one is going in your _fucking skull_."

_If the man had any sense, he'd limp away. Now. _Instead, the Hood let out a strangled cry, stumbling forward as rage engulfed any self preservation the man had, his arms flailing wildly. Alex felt a searing sting flash down her face as she fired her gun, startled by the man's brash movements. He fell back, suddenly limp.

The next few moments were strange for Alex. She felt a disconnect between her body and her brain. It was as if she were watching a vid as a flurry of yellow limbs came flying at her, blades glinting menacingly in the twilight. She vaguely felt her gun firing as she saw blood stain yellow. Who it belonged to, Alex couldn't be sure.

Before she had time to reorient herself, she felt warm, blue arms grab her from behind. Suddenly, a crackle of energy filled the air, tickling Alex's nose, as blue electricity swallowed the alley, sending the sea of yellow flying. No longer overwhelmed, the Human's senses returned to her.

She grabbed Liara's hand and again, they were running. Cutting out onto a main road, Alex was dismayed to find themselves almost back where they had started. However, at least she knew the way to the shuttle station. Only when they were in its mercifully empty foyer did they slow down.

Her lungs burning, Alex collapsed against a wall of lockers, giving Liara a reassuring but breathy laugh. She stopped, noticing the Asari's expression. If she was human, all colour would have drained from her face. Alex wasn't sure if that was physically possible for Liara, however she did note a more pallid tone had swarmed her companion's fear stricken features.

"What?"

"_Your face." _Liara hissed, frog marching the human into the nearest rest room. Now that she mentioned it, Alex was dimly aware of a throbbing sensation down the left side of her face.

Looking in the mirror she grimaced. A steady stream of blood was trickling from a deep cut that ran from the edge of her hairline, across her eye brow, over her eye and down her cheek before skirting her jaw, coming to a rest at the tip of her chin. Alex twitched her face. Everything seemed to be working. _Only a flesh wound_. She gave a faint snort.

Looking at Liara through the mirror, Alex was relieved to see that, apart from being a little shaken up, the Asari was fine, rummaging through the human's discarded backpack. Alex turned her attention back to her cut, gingerly raising a finger to her cheek.

"Where do you keep your medigel?"

Alex only snorted.

"Please, I'm not royalty. There's a small tin in there, though, with a pink cat on it."

Liara returned to her rummaging, finding the aforementioned tin. _What's a Bagpuss? _Shrugging, she opened it and saw a rectangular metal contraption, a needle and some fishing wire. She continued to give a puzzled stare as Alex ruffled through the bag, pulling out a clear bottle. _It looks like..._

"_No_, you're _not_ stitching yourself up. This is the Twenty Seco- And _this is not the time for that_." Liara scolded, snatching the bottle of foul smelling alcohol out of the Human's hand. Alex only glared.

"Yes I am and yes _it is_." She said, snatching the bottle back.

"You need medigel! I should think you of all people would keep a stock of it."

"Blue, I can barely afford to feed myself. If you want to go out and buy some, _fine_. I'll just wait here, bleeding in the corner until you come back from the shops in the morning, _shall I?_"

She took a swig from the bottle, her face contorting, before offering the Asari, who only glared furiously. Alex shrugged, placing the bottle beside the sink and taking the needle and lighter from the tin.

"Make yourself useful and heat this up over the flame." Liara took the lighter grudgingly, as Alex lifted the bottle again, pouring the clear liquid over her cut, wincing. After Alex decided the needle was acceptably hot, she turned to her reflection and flinched as searing metal touched tender flesh. Her hand trembled as she pushed the needle through. She saw Liara looking horrified in the mirror.

"Here. At least let me do it. You'll only make a mess." She huffed, not unkindly.

Alex sat on the floor and leaned against the tiled wall, with Liara crouched, leaning over her. Comfortable silence fell and steadily, they made their way down the offending gash. Once again, Alex suddenly became painfully aware of simply staring into the Asari's eyes, entranced. She felt her cheeks bloom in colour. Eager to stop her mind thinking about it, she broke the silence.

"If you love it so much, how come you don't have any medigel?"

"I rarely need to use it. Plus, getting into a gun fight was not on today's itinerary." Liara added sternly. Alex met her gaze indignantly.

"They had knives."

"You had a gun."

"It was self defence. Not everyone has that magic blue shit!"

"You shot one of them. Twice. _In the face_."

"Liara! They-," Alex wanted to shout, but all fight had left her. "They could have hurt you." She ended weakly.

"And look at what they did you." Liara paused for a moment, as all anger drained out of her. Suddenly, she was aware of just how tired she was. She sighed and saw Alex looking up at her, intently. Liara gave a small smile.

"For what it's worth, thank you."

Alex returned her smile.

"So, what's with all this magic voodoo stuff you're packing? If I knew you could pull a Hal Jordan, we could'a had some fun back there."

Wiping away the remaining blood, Liara admired her handiwork. _I'd make a good MD_, she mused, satisfied and offered a hand, pulling Alex up. Exiting the bathroom, Liara went to the kiosk and ordered a private shuttle. Meanwhile, Alex tinkered on her omnitool. A familiar face appeared over her left arm.

"Hey Ma- Holy shit, what happened to your face!" Suddenly, David was joined by several others, all struggling to jam their heads together to get a better view. Toby gave a bark.

"Tough luck, Ma'. You had a hard enough time gettin' a guy as it was! Now your mug's even uglier!"

"Pffft. This is just me levelling the playing field. Wouldn't want to make it too easy. How're things? Roo hasn't exploded anything has he? Y'know, after last time."

A laugh came from the children as one of the boys flushed to the point Alex was sure she could feel the glow over her Omni. Luis, the second eldest of her kids, sighed, exasperated.

"Yes, _mother_. Everything's _fine._ You've been gone a day, you think we can't handle ourselves? I for one am offended." Mock annoyance in his voice.

"If you keep it up, there won't be any cake when you get back." The little girl chipped in. Alex's eyes widened.

"You wouldn't"

"I would."

"You used to be nice, Ivy. And the rest of you; Maybe I just wanted to show off my cool scar and make you all jealous." Alex chirped, keeping her tone light.

"I'll call tomorrow; you all better have something interesting to tell me. I love you guys."

Ivy was the only one to return her affections; everyone else merely gave tired groans. Alex laughed.

"Okay kids, over and out."

Over the course of the conversation, they had arrived at their shuttle; an X2K cruiser that had full auto-pilot, allowing all passengers to enjoy full leather seats, air con and enough leg room to dropkick a Krogan. Alex had always imagined that when she had finally made it big, the first thing she was going to buy was one of these and give it a cool grey finish and a cherry red racing stripe.

It was one of the passions she and David shared. They loved cars and she could only imagine what his face would be like if he were there to see it. She grinned at the thought. This did not go unnoticed by Liara but she held her tongue. Sitting side by side on the back seat, Liara glanced at her companion and saw the same glazed expression over Alex's face.

"You really do love them." Alex blinked, then met the Asari's eyes, gave a soft grin and shrugged.

"Yeah. They're my kids. I'm their mother, their sister, their friend. Whatever they need me to be."

"They love you. Though they do not say it. I suppose they do not have to."

"Yeah." The human went quiet and relaxed back in her chair. Liara mimicked her movements and nestled her head into Alex's shoulder.

"You are like a shepherd." She said absently, speaking to herself as much as she addressed her companion.

"Mhm?"

"That is the correct term, is it not? It was either that or call you a goatherd, but that is slightly less poetic. I would not want to cause offence."

"But yes, the children, they come to you, for comfort, for guidance. And you give them that. You protect them and help them where others would not."

She paused, as if to evaluate what she had just said before closing her eyes.

"You are their shepherd, and they are your flock." Alex considered this for a moment.

"Yeah. I like that. _The Shepherd_."

They sat in silence while the shuttle hummed along its predetermined route. The quiet was punctuated by a low purr, indicating Liara had fallen asleep. Alex felt a sting in her eyes, knowing she was not far behind. She shifted slightly as she nuzzled her good cheek into the Asari's crest and closed her eyes, losing herself to dreams of fast cars and super heroes of brightest blue.


	6. Presents and Pyjaks

**A/N - **Thank y'all for the kind words! And please don't hesitate to correct any mistakes you see! :)

* * *

**2169 CE **– Local Cluster/Sol/Earth/Europa/France/Île-de-France  
**Paris**

They arrived without further incident in Paris. Being the transport hub to one of the most historically significant off world monuments and dig sites in human history, the city found itself under heavy Alliance occupation. While the Alliance had little official jurisdiction, it would be beyond foolish to attempt any kind of under handed coup or dealings in such close vicinity to the largest legally authorised military force on the planet.

Against her better judgement, Alex relaxed and was surprised to find she was thoroughly enjoying herself. This wasn't solely down to the absence of constant threat, however; Liara had been exceptionally good company. Alex noted with odd amusement that it was easy to open up to the Asari and quietly stunned herself as she regaled her companion with stories of her childhood and run ins with more eccentric characters that inhabited the east end of London, stories she had never expected or wanted to tell anyone.

Liara similarly found joy in the Human's companionship. Although she still tripped over words and fumbled with certain conventions and nuances of human behaviour, she was relieved when Alex corrected her with a gentle chiding, as opposed to outright mocking. They had found equals in each other. It was an enlightening experience, learning about one another, exchanging tales of youth and absorbing one another's culture. It made Liara genuinely sad remembering they would be parting company indefinitely tomorrow. She would have liked to spend more time in the company of her new friend.

After overloading their arms with souvenirs for the children, the couple rounded their day off with a pleasant meal before retreating to their suite. It was more of an apartment, than a hotel room, complete with a reinforced titanium door. _It must have been bomb proof, _Alex thought_. The hotel was clearly used to high priority clientele_.

While only a single bedroom had been available, Alex had no qualms sleeping on the plush sofa located in the apartment's living room. Liara had settled at the terminal in the corner, to finish up on her paperwork for her journey the next day.

Alex used her free time to make one last call to the children, eager to hear their voices. They had picked up another stray, a boy of around ten who called himself James. David had said he was straight forward and refused to mince his words, Ivy thought he was like a boy Alex. She looked forward to meeting this James and welcoming him properly into her family. The children were a team, a squad that Alex was proud to say she spearheaded. They were good kids, with a variety of different skills and temperaments. Under other circumstances they would seem an odd bunch but together they acted as a cohesive unit.

Ending the call, she made a mental note to stop by the markets for an extra gift before setting off home tomorrow. Her mood soured when she remembered she'd be making the return journey alone. However she was stopped from dwelling upon it by a rap at the door.

Her eyes shot up, first at the door, then at an equally bewildered Liara. _Who knew they were here? _Alex silently got to her feet, raising her pistol and padded to the metal door. Liara stood several feet away, hands flaring with a blue crackle, ready to provide back up. Alex stood on a nearby foot stool and opened the eye latch.

She found herself staring at bright crystal blue eyes, _Liara's eyes_. That didn't make sense. Liara was right behind her. Meeting the strange gaze, Alex began to note the subtle differences from that of her friend's.

Where Liara's were full of naive innocence and curious wonder, these eyes were old, full of knowledge only gained through experience and the quiet confidence that came with it. Alex was thankful she had only opened the eye latch, as her body language would have betrayed her nervousness and intimidation. Alex hoped her voice would not buckle as easily. _Keep it short and sweet. _

"What?" She asked, slightly more gruff than intended. The Intimidating Asari was unimpressed.

"Filthy monkeys. No manners. What do they teach you on this rock?" her voice was cool, hard. Alex felt a whimper attempt to escape her throat, immediately cursing herself silently.

"Y-you didn't answer my question." _OhGodOhGodOhGod. _"Ma'am" she added, almost unconsciously. She could feel the woman smirk, and sigh exaggeratedly.

"I am Matriarch Benezia, here to see my daughter. Please don't make my acolytes break the door down. It would be a nuisance to explain to Reception."

Alex turned to Liara, who had remained bewildered. With the light extinguishing from her hands, she took a few paces back and gathered herself, before motioning to open the door. Alex swallowed and hopped off the stool to enter the pass code.

The door swished open and she found herself staring up at the imposing Matriarch, more terrifying in her full regalia and tall frame. Alex gave a glare that did not quite meet Elder Asari's eyes and moved back to the sofa, as the Matriarch and two Asari followed.

"Mother." Liara acknowledged, and Alex was relieved to know she wasn't the only one cowed by the Matriarch's presence. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Oh, my Little Wing, I was merely in the area hoping to pay a visit to my only daughter." She said, mock indignation in her voice.

"As I hear, you were all too eager to let slip our relation to any flea infested monkey who would listen." Liara blushed, recalling her conversation in the Chapel. _They must have made contact with her, making sure she hadn't bluffed them_. She suddenly became incredibly fascinated with the rug at her feet.

"Little Wing, do not be ashamed of using your heritage as a bargaining tool. Truth be told I'm quite impressed." Liara met her mother's gaze with a stubborn frown.

"I trust that is not the only reason for your visit."

"No. There are matters I wish to discuss with you. Preferably, not in front of the ah-"

she regarded Alex.

"_Help_."

The human glared and wrinkled her nose. Liara glanced at her apologetically, before turning back to her mother and gesturing for her to follow Liara the bedroom.

"Are you sure?" Alex piped up, concern overriding any fear the Matriarch had inflicted. Liara gave a weak shrug and nod before disappearing into the room. Benezia fixed Alex with a smug stare.

"She does not require her pet monkey to follow her _everywhere_." She turned to follow Liara, but Alex leapt up with lightening speed, catching a blue wrist and pulling the Matriarch down slightly, so that they were eye level.

" Don't you dare hurt her in there." She snarled.

"Child, you think I would physically accost my own daughter? And you think you could stop me if I did?" she all but sneered. Alex just met her gaze.

"No. But she's suffered enough of your mind games. She looks up to you. You're her mother. It wouldn't hurt to act like it once in a while." Alex noted, with smug satisfaction, a glimmer of hurt in the Asari's eyes and was oddly satisfied to have caused some discomfort in her cool visage.

The Matriarch said nothing, yanking her wrist free and marching into the room.

"And I am not monkey," Alex shouted after her, indignantly. The door slammed.  
"I'm an ape." She added weakly, before turning to the remaining Asari.  
"Monkeys have tails."

Liara jumped slightly at the slamming. _That_ _was_ _woefully_ _unnecessary_. Her mother looked unimpressed as she sat next to her, perched on the edge of the bed.

"I thought you had gotten over your little human... _thing_ while you were studying." Liara blushed furiously.

"It is not a _thing_, mother. They are my friends. And they have treated me with more kindness than any Asari has." She bit back. Benezia was unfazed by her tone.

"I would merely prefer if you kept more civilised company, Little Wing."

Liara only huffed.

"You must have followed me across galactic space to do more than scold me on who I associate myself with."

It was Benezia's turn to sigh.

"Yes. I am aware we have not spoken to one another in some time-"

"_It's been ten years_."

"-nevertheless, I will be embarking on a journey of my own and I am unsure how long it will last. I merely wanted you to know."

Liara was unsure, worried of where the conversation was headed.

"This sounds an awful lot like a final goodbye."

"I do not intend it to be. All I know is that I shall be unavailable for the near future. I wanted to know where we stand. I do care about you, Little Wing." The Matriarch raised her palm to Liara's cheek, cupping it.

"And I you." Liara replied, giving a small smile, concern etched over her face.

"Are you at liberty to tell me what you shall be doing?"

" The details are a little fuzzy; even I do not know fully what we shall be undertaking." She thought for a moment, collecting her words.

"Are you aware of Binary Helix? They are an organisation; interested in genetic engineering and biotechnology. I believe they also dabble in biotics. Well, there was an investor interested in them, he was Turian, a Mr Arterius, he is also a Spectre, I believe. We have grown close over the past few months and he has approached me with a highly sensitive business offer. "

"It looks to be incredibly lucrative. He has forecasted a completion date roughly fifteen years. I do not know for how much of that I would be able to contact you. What it will entail, I am unsure."

"Regardless, I trust him implicitly." She added, noting the question forming on her daughter's tongue. Instead, Liara narrowed her eyes, unconvinced.

"Mother, I would be lying if I said I was comfortable with you travelling the galaxy with a Spectre, and a little surprised. I know how wary you are of them." Liara exhaled loudly.

"It is all a bit dangerous, is it not?"

Her mother only quirked an eyebrow.

"As opposed to landing on unfriendly planets, raiding tombs and gallivanting with unsavoury characters?" Liara shot the Matriarch a defiant look.

"I am _maiden_. You were the one who suggested I travel more. And-"

She added fiercely

"-Alex is not an _unsavoury character_."

"Little Wing, This _Alex_ is child, branded with tattoos, flaunts guns, favours ridiculously unkempt attire and has an unsightly scar running the length of her face. That is not the sign of someone otherwise _savoury_."

"She gained that scar protecting me."

Liara looked down at the floor, her voice falling quiet.

"And it's distinguishing, not unsightly."

The Elder Asari was slightly taken a back. Liara looked up at her mother, still quiet, but insistent.

"She is a good person, mother. I will not have you belittle her."

Benezia nodded grudgingly.

"So," The Matriarch said, changing the subject. "From what I hear, The Mars Archive are rather exclusive about who they let in?" Liara blushed, bashfully.

Alex and the acolytes sat in a painfully awkward silence, punctuated only by the muffled discussion going on in the other room. She cleared her throat.

"Acolytes, then. What do they do when they're at home?" She offered her hand and flashed a nervous grin. In spite of the awkwardness, she relished the chance to use her new name.

"I'm Alex."

"Shiala." One of the girls said, taking her hand. The other just looked on, bored, keeping her arms firmly crossed. When her associate did not reciprocate, Shiala continued.

"The Matriarch is a wise and powerful Asari. It is a privilege to follow her and learn her teachings. She is like a second mother to us. It is a shame your friend chose not follow The Matriarch. With time she could have been a formidable Asari."

Alex snorted, annoyed by Shiala's choice of words.

"Yeah, Liara's not one for politics. But that doesn't mean she isn't formidable. She's the smartest person I've ever met. And her biotics are off the chain. She could run rings around anyone."

Her retort quickly cut the conversation short. Alex tried to pick it up again.

"So, uhh, how long have you been... _acolyting_?"

"Oh, I believe it will two hundred years next month" Shiala said, nonchalantly. Alex gaped.

"_Two hundred years? _Wow. Two hundred years ago we were happy just to have made it to the moon." Alex laughed.

"We'd barely mastered indoor plumbing."

With the tension comfortably broken, Shiala found herself opening up and explained the various nuances that came with being an acolyte to such a prestigious Matriarch. Alex found the whole concept insane. Fascinating, but insane.

Their conversation was cut short once again, however, by mother and daughter emerging from their own exchange. With rehearsed rigidity, the two acolytes rose from the sofa and moved toward the door. The Matriarch followed, stopping only to lean down and whisper in Alex's ear.

"Thank you for keeping her safe." She said, with a genuine gratitude that Alex couldn't help but feel proud over receiving.

"Any time, Ma'am." The Human replied with a small smile and nod. The three bid their farewell and once again, Liara and Alex were left alone.

"How'd it go with your mother?"

"It was hardly the reunion I was hoping for. But it was good. She is keeping company with a Spectre. I would be putting it lightly in saying that I am not the organisation's most fervent of supporters."

"What, the Space Cops? I thought you'd be all over enforcing the law?"

"Not when it puts people above it. You mark my words, Alex, no good will come of that organisation."

The Human shrugged her shoulders, stifling a yawn. Once again time had slipped away from them and the pair had an early start in the morning. Bidding one another good night, Alex curled up on the plush sofa, trying to figure out the best way to liberate the cushions from the suite and get them back on British soil. After the past few days, Alex's bed back home became increasingly less alluring. Now that she had experienced luxury, there was no going back.

_Damn it, Blue, you've spoiled me._


	7. If I Don't See You Through the Week

**2169 CE **– Local Cluster/Sol/Earth/Europa/France/Île-de-France  
_**The Adelaide Brooke Interplanetary Space Port **_

After checking out of their hotel, Alex with a new, suspiciously plump suitcase, the pair made their way to the Space Port. The journey was rather subdued. Even discovery of the X2K's seat warmer and recline switch did little to alleviate the pair's mood.

Silently, they passed through the foyer of the port. Alex waited back while Liara checked herself in. A nearby vid screen caught her attention.

With her limited knowledge of the language, Alex could pick out the French news reporter mention something about the death of a notorious gang leader in a port town in the north. She was surprised to hear that police were not treating the death as suspicious. _Figures. même merde, ville différente. Still, probably best to take the train back. _

She caught up with Liara and the two headed to the departure lounge, sitting side by side, opposite the terminal.

"I'm gonna miss you, Indy." Alex said, breaking the nigh unbearable silence.

"Indy?" Liara asked, perplexed. Deep in thought, Alex didn't appear to notice.

"Wait, would that make me Short Round?" The Human grimaced at the thought.

"I- wait, what's a short round?"

"Never mind, forget I said that. I am going to miss you though. You've grown on me, Blue. Like a wart." Alex added, earning a playful dig in the ribs. Liara smiled, before falling deep into thought.

"You know, Alex. Y-You _could _come with me. I could use an assistant. Plus you would get to travel the stars. You said that you had always wanted to do so. Admittedly, that would only be when we were not underground, digging through ruins, of course."

Alex's eyes lit up at the possibilities. She deepened her voice, imitating the old vid narrators.

"Yeah, the dynamic duo, riding through space, on our quest of archaeological derring do! Me and you; Red and Blue, kicking ass through time and space!"

Liara scoffed, correcting her.

"We'd be _Blue and Red_; it just sounds ridiculous your way."

Alex laughed. Glancing down, she caught the sight of the Hanar plush toy she had bought for Ivy. Picking it up, she smiled sadly, turning it over in her hands.

"I'd love to, really, I would. But I can't." She held up the toy "Not while people down here still need me."

"I know." The Asari said. _It was a silly question to ask, really_. She watched her Human companion quietly for a moment.

"You do realise you can't save everyone, all of the time, no matter how hard you try?"

"I know." Alex replied, giving her a weak smile.

The tannoy announced boarding had begun on Liara's shuttle, breaking the silence that had fallen between the pair. Standing up, they regarded one another, before embracing in a tight hug. Alex felt an odd prickling sensation in her nose. She gave a sharp sniff.

"Promise me something." Liara said, drawing herself away after a few moments. Alex looked up hesitantly.

"Promise me, that one day, you will live for yourself."

She thundered on, her tone brokering no argument, even as Alex opened her mouth to retort.

"Alex, from what I have seen of you this past week, you have done nothing but live for others. You hire yourself out to the Reds for money. You use that money to provide for the children you claim as your own. Heavens, you are only here today because I paid you to."

" It's a selfless life, Alex, and a noble one, but tell me, when was the last time you did something purely because you wanted to?"

The Human opened her mouth, only to close it again and shrug. Liara continued.

"Promise me that one day, you will do something you want to do, for the sole reason that _you_ want to do it."

"I always did want to travel the stars." Alex repeated, nodding her head in agreement. "Maybe one day, I will." She smiled, before her face fell one more.

"Hey, Blue, will I ever see you again?" she asked in a strained jovial tone, poorly masking the desperation behind the question. Although Liara smiled, her shoulders slumped.

"I do not know." She admitted.

"The galaxy is a large place. But perhaps. I certainly hope so."

She gave her Human friend one final squeeze, before picking up her bag and moving through the gate, turning around to wave, before moving out of sight. Alex stayed to watch the shuttle lift off from the lounge window, the prickling sensation in her nose returning.

When the shuttle was a dot in the sky, Alex turned around, collecting her own bags. With another sharp sniff, she felt a warm trickle run down her cheek. Touching her scar, she was relieved to find her wound wasn't the source of the leak. Venturing further up, she clumsily pawed at her stinging eyes. She was crying. That was new. She had never cried before. Not like this.

_Goddammit, Blue_. She gave a sigh, stepping out into the French sun.

* * *

**A/N** - Right, that's it, mostly. I'm trying to write an epilogue of sorts with their meeting on Therum but I can't seem to get the wording right, so it might be a tiny while before it's up. As it goes I plan to do more stories in this 'verse with this Shepard, but again, it's easier not to bother with a time scale.

Again, thank you so much for the reviews and help fixing my mistakes. It is super appreciated! Now more than ever, I'd guess, I'd really appreciate it if you could review this and tell me what you think, about little bits or over all. This was my first bash at fanfic, so I'm a little unsure of what was good and what was not.

So once more, thank you, and see you on the flip side! :)


	8. Epilogue: Shep Shot First

**A/N - **I actually feel kind of hesitant to call this an epilogue, considering it's half the size of the rest of the chapters put together. So much so, I've split it into two parts (Thanks ll027241!). So sorry for the double alerts/emails/what not. Turns out I'm not terribly comfortable writing already scripted scenes, so I'll be keeping to original content in future, or at least veering violently left of canon. So yeah. I'm sitting on the fence with these bits. Hope ya like it, and thanks for reading! :)

* * *

**2183 CE **– Artemis Tau /Knossos/Therum Orbit  
**SSV Normandy**

Commander Alex Shepard sat at the mess table of the SSV Normandy, mug in hand and brow furrowed in thought. It had been a strange few days. Since landing on Eden Prime, Shepard had lost a good man, gained a good woman, watched a friendly Spectre die, became mortal enemies with another, had the nightmares of a long dead alien race burned into her mind, became a Spectre herself, was promptly belittled and ignored by the Council, contracted the services of a tense, trigger happy Krogan, bonded with a cowboy cop Turian, befriended a befuddled young Quarianand had even been given command of her own ship. _Wait until David hears about this on the vid call. _It had all moved so fast. And Shepard had the distinct feeling that things were only going to get stranger.

While such career altering happenstances would normally warrant several days' shore leave, a crateful of alcohol, many a pat on the back and inebriated declarations of love, the Normandy found itself en route to the mining planet Therum. _How did I even get here?_ Her thoughts drifted to her previous meeting with the Council.

_"This evidence is irrefutable, Ambassador, Saren will be stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes."_

_Finally. The Commander allowed herself a smug smirk. It's not every day one gets to prove the three single most important people in the Galaxy woefully wrong._

_"I recognise the other voice, the one speaking with Saren. She is a powerful Matriarch, a formidable biotic and has many followers. She will make a formidable ally for Saren." The Asari Councillor's brows knit._

_"She has a daughter, a scientist, who if I recall, published papers on some form of hypothetical Conduit, similar to what Saren mentioned. It seems too coincidental for Mother and daughter to share such an obscure interest. We don't know for sure if she is involved, however it would be advisable to try and find her, see what she knows, bring her in for interrogation if you must. I have reports that Dr T'Soni was last seen exploring an archaeological dig on one of the uncharted words in the Artemis Tau cluster."_

_The Salarian Councillor cleared his throat noisily, clearly growing tired of the conversation._

_"I'm more interested in the Reapers, Commander. What do you know about them?"_

_"Well, Councillor..."_

T'Soni? She could have sworn she had heard that name before. Shepard felt a knot tightening in her stomach. _Could this Doctor be trusted? She's only an archaeologist, how much trouble could she be?_ The Council had requested she immediately be brought in for interrogation, not questioning, which only furthered Shepard's unease. Regardless of her opinions on the Doctor, Shepard had little faith in her new employers. Just thinking of the potential diplomatic fall out of the situation gave Shepard a headache. _So. Much. Paper work. _As if on cue, a dull throbbing made its presence known in the back of her skull. She had barely gotten respite from the aches since face planting that damned beacon.

She flinched as static from the tannoy flared above.

"ETA to Therum fifteen minutes, Commander."

She sighed.

"Copy that."

Shepard drained her mug, and began psyching herself up for arrival. _Time for your game face_. Glancing up, she addressed the marine currently toying with a control panel on the opposite side of the mess hall.

"Lieutenant, suit up and head down to Cargo, tell Vakarian to get his gear and fire up the Mako. Be ready to drop in five."

* * *

**2183 CE **– Artemis Tau /Knossos/Therum  
**Prothean Ruin #Delta17**

A shot narrowly missed her head. Liara gave a yelp.

_Running. Just keep running_.

She heard the guttural laugh of the Krogan battle master behind her, as another shot exploded a nearby wall.

_Goddess, too close_.

She jumped thirty feet onto the walk way below, using her biotics to soften the landing.

_Keep going, almost there. Almost at the elevator. Almost out. _

She neared the end of the walk way when the Krogan repeated Liara's movements behind, only this time without the aid or grace of biotics. The walk way bent and buckled, sending Liara airborne before crashing into the perfectly carved alcove of the ruin. She scrambled to get up; hauling herself up on the machinery she had been studying before. Her hand slipped, colliding with one of many unknown buttons.

Before she knew it, Liara found herself suspended in stasis and wrapped in a large blue bubble of biotics.

_Fantastic_. She blushed, embarrassed by her own ineptitude. The Krogan strolled up, jeering, his prey all but served to him on a platter.

"So, Doctor T'Soni, you going to reconsider Saren's generous offer? Bend to his every whim like that mother of yours?"

All embarrassment evaporated, as Liara flushed with anger.

"_I am not my mother_."

The Krogan merely laughed at her indignation.

"I'll take that as _no_. Well, lucky for me, capturing you _alive_ was only a secondary objective. It's been fun, Doc." He said, cocking his shotgun, aiming it squarely at the Asari. Liara scrunched her eyes and tried to turn her head.

_At least I've had a good run, _she thought. _Who am I kidding? Of course I haven't. You've been nothing but a failure and disappointment, T'Soni, from the mome- _

A thundering crack stopped her train of thought. She waited for the pain to begin. Gingerly, she opened her eyes a fraction, relieved to see she had remained unscathed. The Krogan however, looked furious.

He fired again. Liara only blinked this time and watched as the bubble absorbed the blast effortlessly. The Krogan roared and went to punch the barrier. However, the bubble collected the force of his fist and ricocheted it back, sending the Krogan sprawling unceremoniously across the bent walk way. He clumsily got to his feet with what Liara suspected was the Krogan equivalent of a pout across his face, bringing a smug grin out on hers. He walked back to the barrier and examined the Asari.

"If I can't get in, you can't get out."

Her smug grin vanished in an instant, transferring over to the Krogan. He gave a throaty chuckle.

"Hunt's back on. I'll be back for you, Doctor and next time, I won't be so forgiving."

She watched in despair as he skulked away_. _She was trapped_. Goddess, what I wouldn't give for a Justicar in flaring biotics right about now. _

That had been two weeks ago. Or at least, she thought it had been two weeks. It could have been three, or one, or a month. Liara wasn't certain. Time seemed to lose all meaning after the first day or so. Nor did she particularly care. She had resigned herself to a slow agonising death, her suspended skeleton serving as a joke to whoever decided to plunder the ruins next.

She was hot, she was hungry, she was thirsty and she was tired. Liara had taken to praying for the Goddess to deliver her into the Void. Preferably without further embarrassment.

She often wondered what had happened to the Krogan. Had he just forgotten? Lied and said she had been _taken care of_? The worst injustice of the whole ordeal had been that she hadn't even been able to see the ruins she had originally arrived to investigate. Instead, she was displayed, mockingly, for anyone who entered, only the dull brown of the excavated wall and rusty walkways to tempt her sight.

She sighed. There was the faint tap of boots on metal from above. _The Krogan?_ No. He stomped. No grace. No finesse. _So now you're hearing things. Excellent. The descent into madness begins here. _

The tapping grew louder as faint shaped, blurs moved above_. Oh look, now I can add hallucinations and mirages to that list, too. _

The figures drew closer. The unmistakable silhouette of a Turian, what appeared to be a human male and- _no. It couldn't be. _Though the blue bubble distorted her features, Liara could make out vibrant red hair, and electrifying emerald eyes. Her heart skipped and pounded in her chest. She had only known one person who possessed that particular phenotype combination.

_But it couldn't be, she was just a child last time you saw her. It had only been fourteen years. She couldn't be here, she simply couldn't. _

_Could she?_

Shepard removed her helmet and approached the barrier, examining the figure that was suspended behind it. Even through the blue haze, she'd recognise that face anywhere. Suddenly her voice caught in her throat. After fourteen years of being dead and buried, the crush Alex had felt for the Doctor back on Earth flared back in full force.

_You don't even know it's her. And what if it's not? It'll sound like you think they all look the same and that's racist. I think. The Council already hates you enough. Fall back on your training. Be professional. Play it cool. _ She swallowed.

"Dr T'Soni?"

"I yes- are you- _Oh _of course not Liara, why would humans come down here? And why would they bring a Turian? Don't be so dense. And look, now you're talking to yourself._"_

She gave a nervous laugh. The Human regarded her, puzzled.

"How'd you end up like that?"

"Hmm, yes, make myself retrace my steps. That would make sense. I had assumed this facility to be some form of Prothean experimental lab. I fell against the console behind, I am not sure what exactly happened. I would theorise that I activated the cell's door."

The Human laughed.

"Stop it._ Oh Goddess_, I'm going to die down here."

"Calm down, Indy. We're here to rescue you." Liara tried to remember.

"Indy?" She paused, trying to remember. "Short Round?" _I never did find out what those had meant_. The human male snorted. The female bit back indignantly, turning on the man.

"Hey, I am _not_ Short Round; if anything I'm _Han."_

"And what does that make Garrus?" the man said, pointing toward the Turian. "_Chewie_?"

"Can it, Threepio." She retorted. The man groaned.

"I have no idea what's going on, but I am deeply offended." The Turian drawled. The other male laughed and shook his head.

"The Commander's been watching too many old Earth vids again."

"Can't ignore the classics, LT." The female returned her attention to Liara, who was now terrified. _This was bad_.

"Even my hallucinations are mocking me."

"Blue, I'm not a hallucination and it's just some gentle ribbing. _Promise_. We're going to get you out of there. Look, I'm-"

She swallowed_. Oh god, why was she so nervous?_ It had been fourteen years, she was a woman now, not a girl. She was the Hero of the Skyllian Blitz for crying out loud, and here she was getting tongue tied over a stupid teenage crush. _Training. Professional. Cool. Take a breath. _

"I'm Commander Shepard, with Special Tactics and Reconnaissance. Don't worry, I know you're not- how'd you put it? _One of the organisation's most fervent supporters?"_

She gave a grin. The Asari only frowned.

"Now I know you're just mocking me; taking my memories and words, twisting them for your own amusement. Fine. I shall play along. If you are as real as you say you are, you will find a way to lower the barrier. However, the only controls are on this side. So good luck with that."

"Please, all I'm hearing is a challenge." Shepard addressed her squad, putting on her helmet.

"Alright men, move out."

The trio delved deeper into the ruins, leaving Liara alone once again.

_Of course, just hallucinations, nothing more. _She heard rumbling and even felt a shudder around her. At least her hallucinations were good enough to be heard the tap of boot on metal once more and out the corner of her eye saw the helmeted Commander.

"I must be getting delirious, I just imagined I had heard thunder." The female approached her with smug nonchalance.

"Yup, that was me, mining laser, boom, hole in the wall and here I am in all my imaginary splendour." She said, holding her arms out and twirling. The human male piped up.

"Uhh, Ma'am? I distinctly recall the mining laser being _my_ idea?"

"Yes, LT and I gave you an honorary promotion to _Lando_ for your troubles. Now I wouldn't be a very good _Han_ if I didn't try to take credit for everything now, would I?"

The Turian cleared his throat.

"_Han_, your _Indy_ is still trapped in that barrier thing."

"Oh right yeah, just mash your hand over the console. Seemed to work for Blue, here." Shepard teased, taking her place below the captive. She heard a huff in response.

"_Kidding_, Blue, _kidding_."

The barrier flickered before going out and Liara found herself falling straight into the arms of the waiting Commander.

"You- You're _real_." The Asari said, staring up into bright green eyes shining even through her dirtied mask. The Commander opened her mouth to reply, but only a small squeak escaped. Quickly clearing her throat and turning a deep scarlet, the Human helped Liara to her feet, keeping her steady as she regained balance.

Liara led the way to the main elevator as a dangerous rumble reverberated around them. Her entourage looked apprehensive.

"What was that?" the Turian asked, scanning the room for hostiles.

"Your liberal use of mining equipment," She glared into the back of the Commander's helmeted head. "would have triggered a seismic event, possibly waking the dormant volcano."

"_Volcano?" _The Commander spun around, eyes incredulous "They built a base inside a volcano? What were the Protheans? Stone age super villains? Next you'll be telling me they've got a moat full of sharks with frickin' laser beams attached to their heads."

The elevator shuddered to a halt, bringing the quartet level with the Krogan and two Geth units. Shepard kept eye contact, only tilting her head slightly in the other human's direction.

"Alenko, radio Joker, tell him to get his ass in gear and be ready for pick up."

The Krogan stepped forward, leering at his prey.

"Surrender. Or don't. That would be more fun."

Shepard only glared.

"Unless you hadn't noticed, this place is falling apart."

"Exhilarating, isn't it?"

"And _I_ watch too many Earth vids?" Shepard muttered. The Krogan stepped closer still.

"Thanks for taking out those barriers, by the way. Spent weeks trying to figure out how to disable them. Now, hand the doctor over."

Alex placed herself between the Asari and the Krogan, raising her gun. _The oh so familiar places_. Her jaw clenched.

"She's staying with us. _Now step aside_."

The Krogan smirked.

"I can do better than that." Shepard only had time to register his pupils dilate and nostrils flare before he was on her, charging her into the back wall. Dazed, Shepard fired her gun directly into his neck. It had little effect. Mentally, she cursed. _Blood Rage, just what I need_. She was vaguely aware of an echo of gun fire not her own, as her squad made short work of the accompanying Geth.

She felt a sickening thud as she connected with concrete. Milliseconds later, she felt the back of her helmet crack under pressure, as her mask splintered under the Krogan palm, embedding shards of reinforced plastic into her face.

Suddenly the Krogan went cross eyed.

Liara panicked. Tired and wholly unprepared for confrontation, she barely had time to react as Commander and Krogan volleyed past her, slamming into the wall behind. Without thinking, she threw a biotic wave at the pair, slapping the Krogan across the back of the head. She fell to one knee, exhausted. It was a weak volley, but it did the trick, dazing the beast momentarily.

The two soldiers flanking her turned their attention from downed Geth to deadly Krogan, quickly unloading several rounds into his hide. Letting out a guttural roar, he spun around, dropping the Commander and charging the three. However this time, he was quickly cut down by the heavy fire, landing lifeless at their feet.

Liara glanced at Shepard, who was drunkenly stumbling into a standing position. The Asari let out a strangled sob as she saw the Commander. Blood cascaded down her face, her features hidden through jutting pieces of helmet so that only her chin appeared unscathed.

The elevator shuddered again. Shepard half staggered, half ran to her squad.

"Move, _move_!" Her two associates bolted, ensuring the path was clear of any further hostiles. Shepard grabbed Liara, who was still on her knees and hauled her to her feet, all but dragging her along, before pushing the Asari in front of her.

Ash and soot burned their lungs as the scrambled for the exit. Liara stumbled and was immediately grateful for the Commander's hand on the small of her back, urging her on.

Running through the exit, Liara's eyes were streaming, as smoke billowed around them. Glancing up she saw the blurry outline of a ship, easing down on the ground below.

She felt three fingered hands around her shoulders as the Turian ushered her toward the ship as the Human male helped the Commander. The two women wretched as the cargo hold opened, revealing another woman, in medical fatigues and with an exasperated expression. The team hurried aboard.

"Commander, your repeated appearances in my med bay are beginning to make me think you have ulterior motives for getting so banged up during your little escapades."

Liara could make out a wide grin on Shepard's bloodied face.

"You think I'm falling for my nightingale, doc? Well, in that case, you could hardly fault my tastes."

Shepard sat on a crate as the medic approached, tilting the Commanders chin with her hand, examining the wounds, tutting. She set about de-sharding Shepard's face.

"You have the most curious methods of flirting, Commander. Unfortunately you're not my type. I prefer my paramours to keep themselves in one piece."

The Commander winced as further shards were removed.

"You wound me with your words doc. My heart's just about as cut up as my mug, right now."

"Mhm. Lucky for you, those cuts aren't terribly deep. Some medigel and there won't even be scarring in an hour. Go up to the med bay, and clean the blood up. I'll be with you shortly."

Shepard nodded and made her way to the elevator. The doctor approached Liara, a gentle smile on her face as she scrutinised the Asari.

"Dr T'Soni, I presume? Dr Karin Chakwas, Chief medical officer. Are you alright? You look a tad peaky."

By now Liara had managed to catch her breath and apart from her blackened attire, she was relatively unscathed. They entered the elevator.

"Yes, Doctor. Just a little fatigue." She said, feeling a heat creeping into her cheeks. Liara felt nervous, like a child being reprimanded by their mother. _Goddess. I am not a child. _They stood in awkward silence, as the doctor continued to scrutinise her.

"All the same, I'd like to give you a look over, after the debriefing. The Comm room is just behind the CIC, on the upper deck." She handed Liara a handkerchief as they stepped into the mess hall.

"I shall see you soon." Liara gave a bashful smile as the Doctor disappeared into the med bay. She made her way up the stairs.

_Goddess, what have I gotten myself into?_


	9. Epilogue: Deaf Leading the Blind

**2183 CE **– Artemis Tau /Knossos/Therum Orbit  
**SSV Normandy**

Sitting in the Comm Room, Liara dabbed the remains of black soot from her skin, painfully aware of the eyes boring at her. She knew humans were not the most xenophillic of races but that didn't explain the animosity of the other aliens in the room. The hostile Krogan had mentioned Saren and it wasn't a large jump in logic to presume these aliens had similar motives. _Oh Mother, what have you involved yourself with? What have you embroiled me in? _

The door behind her swished, as the Commander was led blindly to the head of the room by Dr Chakwas, who promptly left. The Commander's head was fully bandaged from the nose up, as if she were wearing a mask. She posed an amusing figure, leaning nonchalantly against the main console, her enveloped face looking at nothing in particular. The other human female in the room, who had been giving Liara the angriest of glares, piped up.

"Hey, Skipper, Halloween isn't for another six months."

"Laugh it up Williams; at least I can take my costume off."

A voiced crackled over head.

"Too close Commander, ten more seconds and we would have been molten sulphur. The Normandy isn't equipped to land in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hulls. Just for future reference."

"Come on, Joker, like you don't enjoy the challenge."

A snort from the speaker, before the comm clicked off. Liara was astonished.

"We nearly died down there and _you're making jokes_?" The Commander shrugged and gave a smile.

"It's a coping mechanism. You'll get used to it."

Liara was unconvinced.

"I see. It must be a human thing. I am afraid I have limited experience with your species, Commander. However I am grateful to you, you saved my life back there. Those Geth would have killed me, or dragged me off to Saren."

It was the human male's turn to look accusingly. Shepard's mouth quirked down at his tone.

"What did Saren want with you? Do you know something about the Conduit? Or Matr-" He stopped short as the Commander sharply turned her head in his direction, he felt the burn of her gaze even through her bandages.

Liara was unperturbed, thankful for the Matriarch's omission from the discussion.

"I only know that it was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction. That is my real area of expertise. I have spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them."

A smirk appeared on the Commander's face. She had experienced this conversation before. Williams' surliness gave way to unbridled curiosity.

"Just how old are you exactly?"

Liara blushed.

"I hate to admit it, but I am only one hundred and six."

Williams gaped, amused.

"Damn! I hope I look that good when I'm your age."

Liara delved into explaining Asari aging and the difficulties she had encountered attempting to have her work taken seriously, as well as theorising on the disappearance of the Protheans.

It was familiar for the Commander, who was revelling in her good fortune. She had never expected to run into her Asari friend again and standing listening to her only reminded Shepard of how much she had missed her. An unconscious smile spread across her face.

"Did I say something amusing, _Commander_?"

"No, no." She blinked, or tried to. She cursed mentally at the bandages that had her head in a vice like grip. She cleared her throat, as a pink tinge became visible at the bottom of the dressing.

"I, uh, have my own theories on how the Protheans disappeared."

Liara dismissed her, not unkindly.

"Commander, please, I have heard every theory out there. The problem is finding evidence to support them. The Protheans left remarkably little behind. It is like someone came along after the Protheans were gone and cleansed the galaxy of clues. According to my findings, the Protheans were not the first galactic civilisation to mysteriously vanish. This cycle began long before them."

Shepard expressed as much smug as her mouth would allow. It was a curious case of déjà vu. Now she merely waiting to play her trump card. She feigned ignorance.

"Where'd you come up with this theory? _I_ thought there wasn't any evidence."

The Asari, believing she had gained the upper hand, responded with equal self satisfaction.

"I have been working on this for fifty years. I have tracked down every scrap and shred of evidence. Patterns begin to emerge. Patterns that hint at the truth. It is difficult to explain to someone else. I cannot point to a specific piece of evidence to prove my case. It is more a feeling derived from half a century of dedicated research."

"But I know I am right. And eventually, I will be able to prove it. There were other civilisations before the Protheans. The cycle has repeated itself many times over. I have dedicated my life to finding out why, like so many before them, they just _vanished_."

"I can save you a century or two; they were wiped out by a race of sentient machines called _The Reapers_." She smirked at the sound of a sharp intake of breath.

"The- the Reapers? I- how di- what evidence do you have?"

_Incoming flood of brownie points for Commander Shepard. _She gave a sly grin.

"There was a damaged Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. It burned a vision into my brain." She deflated slightly, shifting her weight between legs.

"I'm still trying to figure out what it all means."

Liara bound to her feet. She paced the room, flailing her arms with gusto.

"Yes! That makes sense. The beacons were designed to transmit information directly to the mind of the user. Finding one that still works is extremely rare. It explains the attacks; the rewards of such information are worth practically any risk."

Shepard heard the Asari stop pacing, faintly aware of the body heat in front her.

"But the beacons were only constructed with Prothean physiology in mind. Any information you received would have been confused, unclear."

She could feel the intensity of Liara's gaze and reckoned there was barely a few feet between them.

"I am amazed you were able to make sense of it all. A lesser mind would have been utterly destroyed by the process. _You must be remarkably strong willed, Commander_."

Shepard blushed furiously and gave an involuntary sheepish smile. She heard a faint snort from Williams' direction, and the smile was quickly replaced with the lower half of a scowl. _Stay. Cool_. Kaidan re-entered the conversation.

"With all due respect, this isn't helping us find Saren, or the conduit."

"You're right." Liara stepped back. Shepard immediately missed the faint warmth.

"My scientific curiosity got the better of me. Unfortunately I do not have any information that could help you find Saren, or the Conduit." _Or Mother_, she thought morosely.

Shepard once again closed the distance between them.

"Look, I don't know why Saren wanted you out of the picture, But I think we'll be a lot better off if we bring you along." She offered her hand, which Liara accepted.

"Thank you Commander. Saren will most likely come after me again and I can think of no where safer than your ship. Hopefully my knowledge of the Protheans will be useful later on."

"Good to have you on the team Liara, welcome aboard." She gave a broad grin.

"Now if I know Chakwas, and I do, she'll want to give you the once over to make sure your fine and dandy. You know how to get to the med bay?"

"Yes, Commander, I'll go right away"

Liara left swiftly. She made her way to the med bay, suddenly overcome with light headedness.

After a short dialogue with Dr Chakwas, Liara had been prescribed several days rest and given the stock room of the med bay to use as a makeshift office. However instead of curling up on the cot, she sat at the desk, leaning on her elbows, steepled fingers covering her mouth. She closed her eyes. Liara was shattered, but her mind was racing. So much had happened so fast, she was struggling to process it.

_The revelation of the beacon._ The mere fact that the Commander had survived contact spoke volumes for the strength of her mind, her soul. _Fascinating._ Liara was giddy at the thought of melding with her, to experience the Protheans nearly first hand. _I'd settle for merely being inside the Commanders mind,_ Liara thought idly. _So bold. So strong._ She couldn't help but feel safe around her. Her thoughts drifted further. _The Commander walking up behind her, wrapping Liara in lithe, muscular arms. Smelling the sweet scent of cinnamon and soap on her skin, feeling the warmth-. _

Liara's eyes snapped open. _That was new. _She'd never day dreamed like that before_._ Her cheeks bloomed furiously. She shook the stray imaginings from her mind. Instead she thought about the ship. It was primarily human. Galactic civilisation, or at least the politicians in charge, were not too fond of humanity. However, from Liara's own experience, she had found them no better or worse than any other race. Goddess, even some of her favourite people were human.

Her thoughts were drawn to Alex. Although it had been fourteen years, Liara often found herself wondering about her young friend.

She had cursed herself immediately as she got on the shuttle to leave earth. She should have gotten her Omni key to keep in touch. As it was, they had parted company, permanently. Perhaps being on this human ship was a sign to find her friend again. _But how? Earth alone had 11 billion inhabitants and the Alliance wouldn- _her thoughts were cut short as the door behind her swished open.

Turning around startled, Liara was greeted with the sight of the Commander blindly fumble her way into the room, arms comically outstretched. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut short by the Commander stumbling, cursing under her breath. Instead, Liara watched silently, perplexed as the Commander groped the air, her mouth held tight in concentration. Liara felt a palm gently squeeze her face, crushing her nose slightly. Her voice was muffled slightly by the hand.

"Cumb do check ub on mbe, Combandah?"

Shepard gave a small yelp, jumping back as if scolded. She stiffly fell to parade rest, her hands clenched firmly behind her waist. She cleared her throat awkwardly.

"_Sorry_. I, uhh, just came to check up on you miss- doctor- _ma'am_," she gave an apologetic smile, feeling her face burning despite the icy medigel. "Just making sure you're alright. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Liara regarded the Commander for a moment. Shepard was not facing directly at her, instead staring off into the wall to her right. Liara decided that she would have looked imposing, if not for her bandaged head. She shook the thoughts from her head, instead recalling her previous musings.

"Well, actually Com-"

"Wait, do you mind if I take this off? It's been an hour and I think my nose is going to explode if I don't itch it soon. Please, keep talking, I'm listening."

"Of course, Commander," Liara turned around in her chair, away from the Commander, allowing her some privacy.

"Actually, I was hoping you could help me find someone, Comman-"

"Please, call me Shepard," She interrupted, unpinning the bandage at the back of her head and began carefully unravelling. "Who?"

"Well, therein the problem, Co- _Shepard_. I have a friend, a good friend, one of my best. She is human and from earth but apart from that, I know very little about her. We lost contact a decade and a half ago and I have been unable to get back in touch since. She could be anywhere by now." Liara sighed, downcast.

Shepard however was grinning manically. _She remembers me_. Her heart gave an uncharacteristic flutter. She could have a little fun with this.

"What do you know about her? Who knows, we might get lucky." She tried to keep the mirth from her voice. Liara seemed not to notice.

"Like I said, very little. She allowed me to call her Alex; I do not know if she chose to keep that name, I was the only one to use it. She lacked a family name, which made finding her again exceedingly difficult. I know no way to trace her."

"_Alex_? Rings a bell." Shepard offered, feigning nonchalance. She set to work on the second pin.

"She also had patronage of several children and associated with the Tenth Street Reds. It appeared she was quite popular in her area."

"Yeah, actually now you mention it, I think I might've heard of her. Ginger, green eyes, big ugly scar down the side of her face?"

"_It is not ugly. It is distinguished." _Liara bit back, hotly. Immediately mortified, she apologised.

"Sorry, Commander. But yes, I think sounds like her, if ginger means what I believe it does. She had such striking red hair and the most beautiful green eyes. If you had met her, you would never forget. I was so relieved to see her down in the ruins. But it was just a hallucination," She shrugged weakly. "Dehydration, I guess."

Behind her, Shepard was blushing furiously. She had received compliments for her looks before but had never felt the childish glee she did now, hearing them from Liara. Unfastening the final pin, she continued unravelling.

"No, no, I think I've heard of her." Liara sat bolt upright, resisting the urge to swivel around in her chair, insisting on allowing the Commander her privacy.

"Yeah, she enlisted on her 18th birthday, became an N7 top operative by the time she was 23. Made quite a name for herself in the process. I can put you in touch if you like." Shepard peeled the layer of congealed medigel from her face. Examining herself in the dull reflection of the door, she was pleased to see her lacerations reduced to faint pink lines. No new scarring, Just like Chakwas said.

"Seriously, Commander?" Liara's eyes lit up, incredulous at her luck. Shepard looked over, smirking at the joy exuding from the Asari. She walked over, standing behind Liara's shoulder.

"Sure. Last I heard she'd been giving command of some tin can, on some kind of super secret mission. _Oh what was her name, again?" _Shepard scrunched up her face, exaggeratedly thinking. She folded her arms and leant her back against the desk, staring down at Liara.

"Something to do with keeping goats, or sheep, I think."

Liara looked up at her, eyes like lamps. Shepard met her stare with a lopsided grin.

"Hey Blue."

Shepard heard a squeal as she was blindsided by blue arms wrapping around her neck. After the initial surprise, she flung her own arms around the Asari, pulling her off her feet, laughing.

"Alex!" Liara tucked her head into the crook of the Human's neck. _She had grown_. The arms she was wrapped in were stronger, she could feel the taught muscles flex against her body. She sounded different as well. Her voice was slightly deeper and carried a quiet confidence, not unlike her Mother's. But she smelled the same. Soap and cinnamon flooded Liara's nostrils. It was warm, comforting. She felt as if she could melt into the embrace. She tore herself back, fully examining her friend.

The human was now slightly taller than the Asari. Her face had changed, too. Before, it was round and soft, making the fresh scar that trailed its length stand out, unwelcome amongst her youthful visage. Now, however, it had healed, forming a thin line, cutting through her eyebrow, over her prominent cheekbones, down the side of her face and lining her strong jaw. She had received another scar, smaller, that ran into her lip. It was barely noticeable when she smiled. _Goddess, that smile_. Liara couldn't help but grin back.

Her hair was as vivid as ever. While it was still slightly unkempt, it looked well maintained. Liara could swear she smelt a faint hint of sweet fruit radiating from it. _Alex had called them strawberries_ _back on Earth_. It was taking every ounce of the Asari's self control not to thrust her fingers through it and plunge her nose into her tousled locks.

"Alex, you look-" _Glorious, gorgeous, stunning, handsome_. "Good."

"Well, _you_ look beautiful." Although her dazzling smile didn't falter, a flash of terror crossed the Commander's eyes as pink tinged her cheeks. _Did I really just say that? Beautiful? Shepard you __**ass**__. It's been 15 years, she's your friend. You're a Spectre for Christ's sake, act like it. Not some hormone riddled teenager. _

Liara barely registered the remark, still enraptured with the sight in front of her. She gazed down at the Commander's chest. Her eyes caught the Velcro name tag.

"_Shepard_? That is spelt wrong."

The Commander snorted as the colour in her cheeks abated.

"Hey, not all of us got one of them fancy college educations, _Miss Prothean Expert, ph.D_."

Liara blushed gently as she thumbed the badge, her brows knitting in mild confusion.

"If you are here, where are your children?"

"They're on Earth. Being _awesome_. I'll show you." She grinned, offering Liara her seat back as she fired up the Terminal.

Liara sat, painfully aware of Shepard standing over her, the Commander's powerful arms surrounding the Asari, scarred jaw perilously close to her face. _Liara's head tilted back, stretching out her tongue-_ _No_. _But if you could just lick-__**No**__. _Shaking the images from her mind, Liara blushed violently, eyes concentrating on the screen.

There was a picture of a familiar tenement. Only now, it wasn't boarded up and covered in graffiti. The adjacent courtyard was free of debris and instead housed a rather pleasant looking garden, filled with a mixture violets and roses. There was a small, brass sign at the entrance.

"The Ezekiel Home for Independent Children," Shepard announced with pride, before looking down at Liara sheepishly. "It's a more poetic way of saying _orphanage_."

Her eyes glazed over, as they always did when talking about her family.

"James came up with the name. It's the source of a quote in this book called the Bible. We thought it was appropriate, so we kept it. Never pegged James as religious type." She shrugged. "Different strokes, I guess."

"You never met James did you? You would've liked him, he's practically me, except built like a Krogan. He joined the Alliance first chance he got, too. Corporal now. Haven't seen him in months." She trailed off, lost in thought. Liara was just happy to bask in her emotions.

"But anyway, yeah. Soon after you left, David got to age where he could help look after the kids like I did. But I was still his mother and I'd be damned if he joined up with the Reds like I had to. So we created a project. We brought in kids who didn't have anywhere to go. Taught them how to survive, fix tech, grow food. Skilled work, you know? All kosher, too. Legit." She beamed.

"Once we'd built up our work force, we opened our doors to business, taught the kids money management. Of course, that was all optional. First and foremost we offered them food, shelter, family. But it worked. Got to the point that a recommendation from us could take you a long way."

"After two years they had no use for me," she looked slightly downcast as she stood up straight, before fixing Liara with a soft smile.

"But, that gave me the opportunity to do something I always wanted. After all, I did make a promise. I keep my promises."

"The only marketable skill I had involved shooting people, so I joined the Alliance, travelled the stars."

Shepard's military career flashed through her head. _Elysium, Akuze, Torfan_. She didn't like thinking about them; she sure as hell wasn't going to talk about them. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Then stuff happened and here I am."

"Here you are." Liara nodded, smiling.

"So what about you, _Miss Croft_? Raid many tombs? Shoot any exotic wild life in the face?"

Liara gave a puzzled look

"_Who- I-_ no. Shooting faces tends to be your area of expertise."

Shepard glared, petulant, with defiance etched across her face.

"Hey, we went through this. Nobody hurts you. Not while I'm around."

Liara nodded, grudgingly. However inside she was oddly joyous at Shepard's defiance.

"Regardless, my life has not been as eventful of yours. Unless you would like me to regale you with my findings of a Prothean public bath and difficulties in creating a functional Cipher."

"I would, actually." Shepard said with genuine enthusiasm. In truth, Shepard would sit and listen to Liara recite the dictionary. Plus, now that she had found Liara again, Shepard wanted to find out as much as she could about the Protheans, if only to share one of Liara's passions. Shepard put an end to her idle musings as she noticed apprehension etch across the Asari's face.

"I, ah, Shepard, I hope it is not too imprudent of me, but perhaps later we can discuss your interactions on Eden Prime. _You_ were marked by that beacon, _touched by working Prothean technology._ I must admit, I find you fascinating- _n- not that you were not fascinating before-" _Her eyes widened, panicked.

"- I- _I do not mean to offend you,_ I only meant that you would be an interesting specimen for in-depth stud- _no that makes it sound worse_."

Shepard gave yet another lopsided grin.

"Sounds like you want to dissect me in a lab somewhere."

"I- _No_. I did not mean to insinuate- _oh_," Liara was tripping over herself, babbling incoherently as her cheeks bloomed in colour. _She's so cute when she's flustered_. Shepard gave a reassuring smile.

"Its okay, Liara, I'm only joking."

Liara blushed profusely, hanging her head.

"By the Goddess, I am so dense. You must think me a complete and utter fool. I have yet to fully understand the intricacies of human humour. Mother always said I should have spent more time honing my social skills."

Shepard sighed, finally having arrived at where the conversation had inevitably been heading. She scratched the back of her neck, before dragging her hand through her hair, dishevelling it further.

"You haven't, by any chance, talked to Matriarch Benezia recently, have you?"

Liara gave an exasperated snort, folding her arms and clenching her jaw.

"_No I have not. _I haven't seen her since Earth." Her expression softened as she looked up at Shepard, uncertainty in her eyes.

"The Krogan at the dig site mentioned her, before he started chasing me. He said she wanted me to be with her, for my knowledge of the Protheans. But she hates Protheans, thinks my studying them is waste of a time. _Archaeology helps no one_, that's the last thing she said to me when I was leaving for university. Why would she change her mind now?"

Shepard shrugged.

"I don't know. What I _do_ know is that she is an associate of Saren Arterius, a rogue Turian Spectre, wanted for the murder of Nihlus Kryik in addition to heading the attack on the civilian colony of Eden Prime. He's the reason we've got Geth beyond the Veil."

Liara shook her head despairingly.

"I warned her he was not to be trusted. _I knew it_. Spectres, they are all the sa- _sorry_. But surely you can see why I feel this way?"

Alex nodded, pulling the Asari into a tight embrace.

"And now, mother is implicating _me_ in all this, _Goddess_. I see the way your crew look at me. They do not trust me. I do not blame them." She pulled away.

"But Shepard, please believe me, _I am not_-"

"-Your mother. I know. And I'll always trust you. You're my friend Liara, remember that."

Silence fell between them, both reluctant to continue the conversation, neither one daring to make eye contact.

"Noveria," Liara had finally said, no longer able to bear quiet. "Mother had mentioned a Binary Helix corporation. I did some research not long after our final confrontation. They are based on Noveria. I can only hazard a guess as to her location, but I would start there."

"Thank you," Shepard nodded. "Liara, I'm sorry-"

"For what? Do not apologise for my Mother's actions, Shepard. They are not your doing." Liara was met with a weak smile. Her stomach churned as she worked up the nerves to ask her next question.

"Shepard, if I may, could I accompany you when you land on Noveria? While I do not doubt your words, I would like the opportunity to see the Matriarch for myself."

"Of course."

A crackle of static rung over head, before a voice came through.

"Commander, the Council have responded to our hail. Do you want me to patch them through in Comm Room?"

Shepard turned her gaze skyward, addressing the voice.

"Affirmative, Joker, I'll be there shortly." She turned back to Liara. "I have to go butt some heads, but I enjoyed our talk. Perhaps we could pick it up afterwards, over dinner, or at least, what passes for it on this ship?" She grinned. "Y'know? Properly catch up. And hey, if you play your cards right, I might even let you dissect me."

The Asari only blushed. Shepard held her gaze, her grin softening.

"Liara, I'm glad I found you again."

"As am I, Shepard."

The Commander bowed and made for the door. She reached out for the green hologram.

"Alex!" Liara gasped, striding up to the Commander and spinning her around.

"I almost forgot to properly thank you for rescuing me from that barrier down in Therum."

She clenched her fists, steeling herself. Leaning up on tip toes, Liara gave Shepard a peck on the cheek. Shepard attempted to form a response, but only produced a startled high pitched squeak. Swallowing, she turned around and proceeded to march through the door.

Looking up from her data pad, Dr Chakwas watched as her Commanding Officer strode past, oblivious to her presence, a dumb grin plastered across her face. Chakwas made a mental note to check her morphine stock for depletion. The Doctor chuckled, shaking her head as she returned her attention to the data pad.


End file.
